How to save a World
by Azurez
Summary: Harry never thought it would lead him and Sirius falling through a magical curtain into a world of bizarre the pair settle in this "Pokemon world" they gain a chance to love they'd never have back home. Slash!
1. Another side, Another story

Summary: There was no question that Harry's trip to the Department of Mysteries would end in disaster, but he'd never thought it would lead him and Sirius falling through a magical curtain into a world of bizarre creatures. As the pair settles into this new "Pokemon" world, they gain the chance to love they'd never had back home. Slash!

Warning: Swearing, violence, character death, Alternate universe, same-sex relationships, divorce, and cheating.

Pairings: Volkner x Harry, Norman x Sirius, others to come later.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Harry Potter. Pokemon is own by GameFreak and Satoshi Tajiri, Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling please support the official release.

Chapter One: Another side, Another Story

It was like an old black and white film, playing openly in front of the masses as if it was on display, untouched and untainted by human hands. The air of mockery that came from it as Harry stared with his pair of emerald pools. Unable to look away in a mix of horror and shock, as Sirius tried to reach out with his left hand as if he was attempting to grab onto Harry only for the inevitability to occur as the man, the one he had come to consider as a father, slipped through the veil without a moment's notice or sound.

The blaring of the chaos that surrounded him seemed to have cease if only due to the psychological trauma that he had just witnessed and the running emotions that jolted within his body like train, he didn't even think or even consider the current lack of awareness to be deadly or even mildly important, as Harry's mind seemed to have drifted away and his thoughts suppressed. Only his body seemed to have any sense of function for his legs moved forward in a dash pushing himself towards the veil not even bothering to acknowledge the screams and stares that he was receiving from friend and foe alike.

The only thing that Harry could even think about was Sirius, tears raced down from his eyes as the harsh wind seemed to have kissed his cheeks, then as he felt the curtains of the veil skim his shoulders, darkness seemed to wrap around his body within an instant.

Harry blinked slowly as he felt the lightness of his body. He was starting to descend within the veil drifting farther and farther away from the curtain that seemed to have sealed just as he had gone through. His heart twisted in pain at the thought of being unable to return home as he began to think about Ron and Hermione, Luna, Ginny and Neville along with the other Order members plus those from the DA. He had left it all behind to chase after Sirius, and while it had been a rather foolish decision he wasn't sure if he truly had any regrets about passing through the veil. Too much had happened during the course of the year and everything seemed to have finally gotten to him once Sirius had gone through the veil, it felt like nothing else actually mattered anymore.

Now he was starting to feel rather stupid. Harry cursed himself as he felt the darkness of the veil starting to vibrate and shift in an eerie sort of way, it reminded him of the horror movies he had seen the Dursley's watch during the summer, when he was doing chores or attempting to finish up his homework late at night. It was kinda ironic, really, the Dursley's wanted him gone this year and that's exactly what they got. They would never see him darken their doorstep another summer ever again. He supposed that was some form of comfort for him not seeing the Dursley's ever again, as the coldness of the dark began send shivers down his spine while he moved through it trying to locate his lost Godfather through the darkness. It had occurred to him of the possibility of Sirius still being alive within the veil could be nil, but he wouldn't give up hope. Not here, not now!

Even if Sirius had died at least Harry would be joining him soon. That was solace enough.

His eyes felt so, very heavy and his energy being drained the longer he hovered within the darkness of the veil as the dark ribbons began to approach every so slowly. A sad smile slide upon his face as Harry blinked rather tiredly watching the darkness quietly, patiently for the end to come.

"Heh." Harry murmured with a click of his tongue allowing his muscles to start relax and loosen. It felt rather pointless at this point to continue to avoid the inevitable and struggle against his fate no matter how much he desired it, yet, a part of him had come to accept this as the end of the line, the great conclusion to his life. He shivered slightly as he felt the coldness starting to brush against his skin like a fan, while make it's way up towards at his body and started to speed as he felt the coldness cover his exposed skin.

Was this what death was like? How odd. He always suspected it to be long and painful, being forced to suffer agonizing period of time as death would tease and prolong the end, mockingly. Instead it was almost... relaxing, in a weird twisted way. He couldn't really explain it properly, even if he wanted. Harry struggled in order to keep his eyes open fighting against the coldness and the need to sleep, he didn't want to die not just yet. He wanted to at least be able to see Sirius one last time before accepting the end, the veil could at least give him that.

Then... then he would allow death to take him. It was only fair, in Harry's opinion. He didn't want to die, but he accepted it nonetheless. Harry briefly wondered if it was cowardly to feel this way, he wasn't sure for he had never experienced anything what he was feeling at the moment, granted he had been in many dangerous situations where he could have nearly died but nothing on this level. The only comfort he had gained was that from the darkness, still vibrating and shifting out of place.

'Why...?' Harry thought tiredly blinkingly slowly as he moved his eyes in an attempt to locate Sirius within the shrouding darkness, he'd find him. He refused to give up on finding the man he had come to consider as a father, and not even death was going to stop him from doing so. Little by little, he felt his strength slowly start to return as Harry started to rotate his body to the other side and focus on the deepening darkness of the veil. Narrowing his eyes Harry used his legs to push himself forward deeper inside. Was it stupid? Probably. Did he have a choice? Not, really. Besides, nothing could happen unless he went ahead and explored. A part of him wondered what Hermione would think of everything in the veil... or lack there, of.

Either interesting or dull most likely. Harry snickered at that thought as some of his energy returned. Still floating through the veil his eyes observed and looked around trying to find any hint of Sirius being inside or at least being near him!

Harry breathed heavily as he gathered up his strength. "SIRIUS!"

The sounds of his voice echoed through the veil as he watched the darkness shaking from the volume, making Harry blinked in surprise yet ignored it. He had much more important things to worry about, filing away the shaking darkness in the back of his mind Harry had continued forward whipping his head around rapidly.

Something like this wasn't going to stop him!

"SIRIUS!" Harry shouted again summoning as much strength as he was able to muster only to feel the agonizing strain on his chest as it send signals through his body. Gripping his chest roughly, he felt his vision starting to grow weaker the longer he fought to remain awake within the veil. "S-Sirius!"

Nothing... not even a single sound of reply. He was alone in the veil... all alone with only the darkness and the cold to keep him company.

Wrapping his arms around his chest as he continued to float through the veil as the glimmer of hope that Harry had held on to still remained if only just and allowing the heaviness of his eyes to start to close, perhaps this was all for the best. It seemed like a rather painless way to die and he'd be able to see his parents on the other side for the first time in years. That thought was comforting, his smile twitched into a tiny smile. Holding his arms closer together, allowing the rest of his body to relax and cease being rigid. Meeting his parents... that sound so wonderful.

A throbbing pain began to emit from his forehead as it burnt so viciously, without remorse and without warning. The intense feeling of hatred, fear and anger were coming from the scar as Harry gripped his forehead in agony trying to minimize the pain only for it to be in vain. Squinting his eyes open as the pain had become so unbearable to ignore during his 'slumber', he blinked rapidly to get his eyes working as he continued to hold his forehead as his mind raced with confusion. His car usually only began to hurt.. to burn, when Voldemort was near or was feeling a rather strong emotion. It left Harry rather bewildered, forcing himself to become cautious as his eyes slowly began to look around the darkness as he titled his body to an upright position.

What the hell was going on? Wasn't he dead or at least on the verge of passing over?

A sharp and angry pain shot through Harry's ears causing the teenager to slip to his knees and grip them in an attempt to ignore and push out the pain.

"What is going on?" Harry hissed struggling to keep the pain at bay.

_Potter!_

Harry's eyes snapped open. "W-what the hell?"

_This is _your _doing isn't it Potter!_

The pair of emerald eyes narrowed into slits as he recognized the voice, Harry let out a loss growl. "Voldemort." The moment he said that snake-like man's name, the darkness within the veil began to vibrate and shuffle again in an eerie counter-clockwise kinda of way, watching in clear fascination at what had just happened. He pulled out his hand from his pocket, pointing straight at the Dark Lord. "What are you doing here?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't be here now would i?" Voldemort growled out angrily as his red eyes flashed with hatred. "Now release me Potter! And perhaps, I may spare some of your friend's suffering!"

Harry's eyes narrowed. "If you honestly think I'll let you or your little minions hurt my friends, then you have another thing coming!" His wand was within his hand tightly never once blinking or taking his eyes off of the man standing or rather, floating in front of him. Neither one made a move as a nagging feeling at the back of his own head starting to scratch at the surface, as thoughts of why Voldemort had even gotten pulled into the veil has crossed his mind. Pressing his lips together as his lips smirked at the thought of the snake-like man tripping or getting blasted through the veil. "So Tom-"

"Don't call me by that filthy name!" Voldemort snarled. "I'll kill you were you stand, BOY!"

Harry delicately raised an eyebrow. "With what your fingers? I'm the one with the wand here, I don't see you with yours." Thankfully that gave Harry the advantage since he was uncertain whether or not that he would be able to beat Voldemort by himself or if he would have to rely on his luck once more. "How did you even get into the veil anyway, did you trip and fall?"

Voldemort glared. "Be silent boy!"

"Make me Tom!" Harry shot back.

The Dark Lord eyed Harry coolly as they bore deep into Harry's soul. "You didn't bring me here, did you Potter? No. This type of magic is beyond you something else must have brought me through this blasted thing." Turning around, he effectively began to ignore Harry's existence. "I must find a way back to the realm of the living! My vision will soon become a reality!"

"Like hell." Harry challenged as thoughts of seeing his friends and those that he had come to are about suffer this mad man's rule. His wand was still pointed at Voldemort. "I won't let you leave here. If I'm going, then I'm sure as hell going to take you with me!"

"Do you honestly think that you can fight me equally, Potter?" Voldemort questioned maliciously as he gazed down at the boy with his red eyes that glinted with twisted humour. "I am far more powerful then you believe me to be, you may have faced me as an apparition and again with my Basilisk and the dairy." Seeing the bewildered look, he continued nodding slowly and evilly. "Oh yes, I know of your adventures. Destroying one of my childhood memories of Hogwarts." Shaking his head in mocking hurt. "Did you honestly believe that I had not prepared a backup or that Lucius hadn't informed me of his failures? You are sadly mistaken Harry Potter. No one lies to Lord Voldemort."

"Apparently not." Harry retorted dryly his wand still pointing at him.

Voldemort's face turned into a snarl. "There is nothing you can do, Potter. I will ALWAYS find a way back to the realm of the living. My anchors will bring me back!"

_'Anchors?'_ Harry thought as his eyes turned into slits. '_What anchors? I need to keep him talking!' _ He had no idea what Voldemort was talking about, but whatever these 'anchors' were, it definitely spelt trouble for everyone on the other side. He needed to contact them and warm them! But first he needed more information. "What anchors are you talking about?"

Voldemort looked at him with a condescending look. "Potter, do you really believe yourself to be witty?" He chuckled lowly and shook his head. "What a simple child you are. Do you honestly believe that I have not learned from my mistakes? The moment I tell you what they are, I am a certain that you would find a way back to the living to warn your friends or at least find a way to destroy them. I cannot allow that to happen. My time to rule over all magic is upon me and I will not allow a child and his band of classmates to stop me from completely my noble ancestors work!"

"Can't blame me for trying." Harry remarked dryly as his arm that held his wand beginning to waver. He had no idea of what to do and no way of warning his friends. The only thing that he could do was shout it. But, Harry resisted the urge to snort, he didn't think that would work. That had been proven when he had shouted for Sirius with no success. The thought of his godfather flashed and felt his blood beginning to boil as he recalled how Bellatrix had used a stunner on Sirius, causing him to fall through the veil. While she hadn't killed him, the woman was directly responsible for him falling through the veil, plus she was Voldemort's right hand woman and the crazed death eater that had ruined so many lives!

That bitch wasn't here at the moment... But Voldemort was. And nothing would be more satisfying to see him fall.

"Now how to get out of this forsaken place?" Voldemort mused to himself, once again ignoring Harry, obviously not realizing that the boy held the upper hand. Not that he truly cared, he was far more powerful and resourceful in case the boy tried to pull or do something…. heroic. Nearly causing the snake-like man to shudder. The very word was enough to make him want to vomit. His knowledge of the veil was narrow both to himself and the ministry, the only records that documented even the slightest bit of knowledge was the name: The Veil of Death, and how long it had been within the Department of Mysterious: Since the beginning. Even over a thousand years, no new information had been discovered.

He would rectify this once he returned!

Harry struggled to keep the anger that was building up inside of him to take control and whip out a spell, he didn't want to be caught off guard or allow Voldemort to get his wand. In fact, it made Harry wonder where Voldemort's wand had ended up anyway as he recalled from his visions, he always had it on him. Was it possible that he had lost his own wand... or was he merely concealing it for convenience, waiting for the moment where he would be able to get him when his back was turned?

He sniffled a bit as felt the cold from the veil starting to creep up from his spine, letting loose a sneeze. "A-archo!"

"What, you're still alive Potter?" Voldemort mocked. "Then again that shouldn't surprise me from the boy-who-lived."

Harry gave him a cold look. "You're just mad at the fact that no matter how hard you try, you could never kill me. Not to mention that it's the VEIL that's killing me rather then you. Face it, an OBJECT got the better of you and did something that you could never do!"

"Silence boy!" Voldemort snarled. "I'll have your HEAD!"

Harry shrugged, smirking. "Better hurry, Tom. Time's running out."

"My name is VOLDEMORT!" The Dark Lord shouted angrily glaring at Harry with his red snake like eyes. "Cease calling me by that filthy half-breed name!"

Harry's smirk remained, he could use this to his advantage. "Why should I? You're not a schoolboy any more or an Dark Lord in here, Tom. Your just a man. A human, just like me. And there's nothing you can do about it. Face it Tommy boy, you may talk big and even frighten your precious Death Eaters, but when it really comes down to it, your nothing more than an overgrown baby. You don't do anything, you send your minions to do all the work for you! Your nothing more than a figure head!"

"I'll kill you Potter." Voldemort stated slowly staring at him with a deranged and menacing look. "I'll kill you nice and slow, so that you'll scream for me to stop."

Harry wasn't even phases by that threat. "Oh goodie. Another murder attempt how many are we on Tommy-boy? Five times now?"

"MY NAME IS VOLDEMORT BOY!" The Dark Lord's voice reached a new octave as he glared murderously. "NOT TOM RIDDLE!"

As soon as those words left Voldemort's mouth everything seemed to freeze in place and the silence spread throughout the darkness of the veil creating a very uncomfortable tension for Harry and the Dark Lord. Neither one were sure of what exactly to expect, Harry continued to hold his hand tightly as his eyes glanced around discreetly while keeping a trained eye on Voldemort. He didn't trust the man for a minute to not try some kind of bullshit that could end up getting both of them killed or worse reincarnated into the same body! He shuddered at that thought, the very idea of that nearly made him hurl. Gripping his hand tightly and ignoring the urge to whip his head around, he continued to glance and stare.

_'What's going on here?' _Harry wondered worryingly as his stomach began to do backflips, the very feel of the veil was starting to get to him. Something felt off yet he was unable to figure out why, he swallowed rather thickly and took a step backwards-

Fwshoooo!

The cutting sound of the air kissed his skin carelessly as the glint of silver managed to skim past him. Harry's head snapped towards where it was racing to and looked on with wonder at seeing the chains of silver clamp upon Voldemort's body. His arms were held high into the air as his feet were forced apart and finally a chain was wrapped around Voldemort's neck. It was rather ironic at seeing Voldemort in this position, watching with surprise and glee at seeing the so-called Dark Lord being chained up like a muggle crook.

"Release me!" Voldemort hissed angrily trying to whip his head around, only to fail. "Do you know who I am! I am Lord Voldemort, the most feared Dark Lord in Britain and soon the WORLD!"

Harry cocked is head to the side. "I don't think that they care-"

"Potter! Get me out of these chains!" Voldemort demanded. "I'll make you my second in command!"

Harry blinked slowly trying to process what he had just heard. "Excuse me?" His tone flat.

"You heard me!" Voldemort yelled at Harry. "Now release me!"

Harry pretended to think for a moment. "Like hell I will. Do you honestly think I'm going to get you out after all the shit you and your precious Death Eaters did? Fat chance, Tom. You deserve this. Consider this the end of the line for you, it's over."

Voldemort began to rage angrily as he struggled to snarl at the boy however, the chains that kept him in place were far too strong for him to break loose, and without his wand he was powerless to do anything! He hissed angrily as he began to shout out threats of death and pain towards the teenager, whom was looking on in bemusement at the entire thing. Never before had he ever been so utterly humiliated! Him! The Greatest of all Dark Lord's in the past five hundred years reduce to chains like common folk! Once free and the boy taken careful, he would hunt down whoever thought that they could collar Lord Voldemort! Oh yes, they would pay with their lives! A cruel smirk slide upon his snake-like face.

Potter's wand would do the trick. Now... he simply needed to get free from these blasted chains!

Voldemort felt a strange change within him beginning to occure, and frankly it did not feel right nor did it sit well with him! Forcing his head down in order to get a glimpse at Potter, he noticed that the boy was gripping the left side of his head with a wary and fatigued look. A horrible chill ran up his spin at the implication as the scar he had inflicted upon Potter began to shimmer slightly, at first he had thought it was blood trying to slide down Potter's face only for him to realize that it had been magic. A different kind of magic.

"What did you do Potter?" Voldemort demanded absolutely frightened at the shimmer he had seen.

Harry shot a weak glare at him, still holding the side of his head. "Me? I didn't do anything you wanker!"

"Show me some respect Potter!"

The teenager snorted. "Not in a million years, you old snake!"

"You brat!" The Dark Lord snarled as he felt a burning feeling beginning to ascend from his heart straight towards his brain, by no means was it pain but the burning sensation was still there as it slowly began to spread through his body. His red eyes slowly started to widened in utter horror as several small streams of magic began to float over towards them, each shimmering with a different color before stopping in front of the two. "N-No!" He knew what they were! B-but how!

Harry watched with wonder as the stream began to wrap around themselves as they formed into different items: The diary that he destroyed back in second year, a strange ring that floated maliciously, a locket with an 'S' on it, a yellow cup with the crest of Hufflepuff upon it, a strange tiara like item that sat heavenly and lastly...Nagini. Each of them seemed to float steadly where they were, sitting silently as more chains began to rush towards them wrapping them down and confining them together. Watching with interest as each item, with the exception of Nagini, began to float towards Voldemort, surrounding him in a circular like fashion and started to glow darkly. The sounds of cracking echoed through the darkness of the veil as Harry watched as each item flashed simutaneously as they dissolved into dust as they energy released from it rushed towards Voldemort like Peeves on a warpath and collided together at the moot point in the center: Voldemort.

The feeling of the magic starting to build up and emit from the centre, as Voldemort began to let loose a non-humanesque like scream that pierced Harry's ears. The sounds the came out of the snake man's mouth resembled that of a banshee or even a gargoyle, as he fell straight to his knees trying to ignore the sounds. The feel of the magic pressed against him, not hard or strong, but softly like the wind on a summer's day. However, Harry knew as he stared at the small dome, that was going to change very soon. As he forced himself on his knees, wincing as the sounds of Voldemort's screams beginning to grow louder and louder. He didn't really understand what was happening, not that he actually cared, but he needed to get away and fast.

Famous last words.

The moment Harry stepped backwards, it was like fireworks exploded all around him. A giant wave of magic was pushed away from the item, followed by a moment of silence before a giant explosion echoed throughout the darkness as a powerful force pushed Harry he was sailing through the nothingness? He was staring at the rushing white energy that seemed to have spread like wildfire. The feeling of intensity began to wash over and blind him much like the burning feeling of the sun, as Harry was forced to close his eyes in order to stop the pain that threatened to burn out his eyes. Unfortunately, the pain from his scar once again started to act up for third time. Thankfully it was at least bearable this time around! As the feeling of the magic began to wash over him and the feeling of water kissing and caressing his skin ever so gently, soothing the rest of his body as he allowed himself to relax...

Water?

He felt light... lighter than he had ever felt and the coldness of the liquid feeling was gentle, pressing against him. It felt nice. Just being able to lay within the water, wherever it came from, Harry didn't really care. Then again, perhaps this what was death was like, just lying in the water and not worrying about the world around him. A smile began to slide upon his face, allowing his body to shift positions and sleep. He had been lacking it and really, after everything that happened he deserved it.

When he awoke, he'd go and find Sirius. And his parents.

Grunting softly as Harry felt a strange noise ring in his ears, but ultimately ignored it, promptly back to sleep. Suddenly, out of complete and utter nowhere, he felt a strange feeling of lightness once again and the feeling of the cold starting to rush against his skin without any sense of warning, that made Harry shiver. The echoing of gasps also did nothing to help him either, followed by the tugging feel as well. He winced and struggled to keep his eyes shut as he felt the floor vibrate and shook beneath him.

Couldn't these people let him sleep?

"Is he okay, is he breathing!" A voice questioned hysterically.

A growl was heard. "He's breathing, but I still need to check his pulse. Over there and stay out of the way Flint!"

Flint? What kind of name is that?

The feeling of a hand placed on his neck made Harry shiver, whom was unsure to physical touch. It wasn't bad though...it was almost gentle, really. His body began to move and his eyes threatened to twitch open, he squinted his eyes and ended up staring towards the shining light that hung above. He was greeted by a pair of dark blue eyes that gazed down at him with long golden blonde bangs, with a face of someone unworldly. There was only one thought that went through Harry's mind at that exact moment.

"A...are you an Angel?"

Only for darkness to claim him once again.

Whoever that person was, they had to be an angel. There was no way someone was beautiful as that could ever be human.

"H...hmmm..."

Harry groaned as he struggled to get up as the rays from the light took him by surprise. Holding up his arm as a defence against them, he squinted his eyes. "W-where am I?"

"You're awake. That's good."

Harry titled his head as he came across a blonde haired man with stunning blue eyes, wearing a blue jacket that seemed to be made out of some type of rubber and a black shirt. Harry felt a tingle the longer he continued to gaze up at the man, only for him to shake off the feeling and dismiss it. After all, the tingle was probably due to the fact he had been unconscious for merlin knows how long! He continued to watch as the blonde haired man walked towards him and could feel the air of a leader surrounding him, and as the man took a seat in front of him and stared intensely at him with electrical blue eyes that seemed to stare deep into Harry's soul. It was at that point when he felt a whirlwind of pressure being forced upon him, nearly chocking as Harry felt the power coming off of the man. Just who was he?

Harry's eyes then focused around the bright white room, observing it intently as he saw the open window and hovering curtains as the wind blew inside of the room. Hanging on above was a television which was turned off and a file holder on the front side of the door that was in plain sight. On each side of the bed he was currently laying in there were two tables, both having a vase of flowers in them. His mind seemed to slowly began to take in the information as he returned his attention on the man, taking note of the blonde hair and blue eyes once more as his own eyes widened in recognition.

"Y-You're that angel!" Harry spluttered out before he frozen realizing what he had said and suddenly felt like crawling into a hole and dying.

The man's lips twitched ever so slightly, and the gaze of his eyes danced with mirth. "I didn't think my looks would be on par with those of an angel." He chuckle a bit as the boy sitting in front of him flustered with embarrassment, it was rather very cute.

Harry resisted the urge to snort. "I was barely conscious!"

"Sure you were." The teasing tone wasn't lost on Harry.

The raven haired boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night,...?"

The man blinked slowly. "What?"

"Your name." Harry stated staring at the man with an unwavering stare held with determination. "It's polite to introduce yourself to one another, and to be honest, I don't know who you are."

The man's eyes shot up in surprise and held curiosity within them, before a small smile slide upon the man's face. "My name is Volkner, I am the Gym Leader here in Sunyshore City."

"Volkner?" Harry repeated allowing the name to roll off of his tongue as if to taste, it was a bit weird yet intoxicating as he dwelled upon the name. That being said, what the hell was a Gym Leader and where was Sunyshore? Harry had failed to notice the strange look he was receiving from the man. "Harry, Harry Potter." Holding out his hand towards the man as Volkner blinked into surprise but nevertheless gripping and shook hands. "Nice to meet you."

"No, the pleasure is all mine."

* * *

><p>Chapter one-end.<p>

I hope that you all enjoyed the first chapter of How to Save a World, I was rather disappoint with the origianl version and decided to re-write it and make several dramatic changes to the overall storyline. Keep in my that some elements have remained the same, while others have not. Also, I would like to thank my lovel beta articuno_13 for doing a wonderful job!

I am open to any suggestions and ideas about what Pokemon that you think Harry and Sirius should have, just please provide a reason for that pokemon.

Thank you and please leave a review!


	2. Beyond

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Pokemon, they belong to their respected owners so please support the official release.

Chapter Two: Beyond

"...Here you go, Norman. The Pokemon that you requested!"

The dark haired man beamed as his attention was focused upon the small red and white ball resting within his palm. "Thanks! I've been trying to find this specific Pokemon for a while now, but because of my duties as a Gym Leader I couldn't go out and find one. Thanks for breeding one for me, I appreciate it."

"Hey! No problem, Norman!" The breeder behind the counter grinned smugly. The doors chimed as a younger boy ran up to the counter, looking rather timid yet beaming with anticipation and excitement. Letting out a soft chuckle, while looking at the kid, he returned his attention towards Norman briefly. "Sorry Norman, duty calls! It's going to be a busy weekend!"

Norman nodded. "Say no more, thanks again!" Waving well naturedly, attaching the Pokeball to his belt and placing the Pokeyen on the counter as he left the store. Humming with a bright tone and wearing a large smile upon his handsome features, he walked down the street absolutely beaming with energy and excitement. It wasn't everyday when something actually worked out in his favor and so quickly as well, especially since he had been looking for the Pokemon in question for quite awhile both due to his personal interest and due to Caroline's request. It wasn't because she was jealous of him being around Nurse Joy, thank Arceus for that, he winced at the memory of how she reacted at the length of time he was spending at the Pokemon Centre to prep for her anniversary. No, it was mainly because she wanted to make sure they had a reliable source of Pokemon Health Care within the house hold in case of an emergency.

While seeing the logic within Caroline's reasoning he did feel as if there had been something that he had missed or hadn't noticed. Then again, that's hardly surprised him at all truth be told. For the past while... no, the past few years he felt a growing distance between himself and Caroline. He didn't say anything only to merely brush it away and ignored it, believing in Caroline and their marriage. However, that all came to an end the week before when he had decided to close the gym early in order to surprise Caroline, with champagne and some Lilly's.

...Unknown to her, he had ended up catching her in bed... with Juan, a fellow Hoenn Gym Leader. Oddly enough, it didn't hit him or stunned him as much as he thought it would have. No, in fact, he resigned himself to the fact and accepted it with ease. It was strange. Norman couldn`t place the words in order to explain it only that the moment he placed his wedding ring upon the table, it felt right again.

Norman mused for a moment while pausing within his stride, only to gaze at the sunny blue sky that hanged above him. He was standing near the beaten path just outside Sunyshore and felt the leaves from the trees around him brush against him, finding himself falling deep into thought. A sudden realization came to him. Perhaps, the reason he hadn`t been so effected by Caroline`s betrayal wasn`t because she had been cheating on him, but also because of his own betrayal.

The truth was, Norman loved Caroline, but he wasn`t in love with her. In reality, Norman was in fact, a raging homosexual. He had been very young when he'd first realized that he was gay. He hadn't deceived Caroline, he simply believed his sexuality was an irrelevant part of life. And he did love her just... not in love. Maybe, that was his biggest mistake of all... by not being himself.

"What a fool I've been." Norman whispered into the air as he struggled to keep himself from smiling bitterly at his epiphany. In the end, it hadn't truly been Caroline's fault that their marriage had been reduced to nothing. He had also played a role within its demise. There was also the fact that they had married at the age of nineteen, just before he had started his employment as the Gym Leader of Petalburg City after many attempts at passing the Gym Leader Exam held at his hometown of Goldenrod City. He had been beaten out several times until he had been accepted in Hoenn. However, that had also meant leaving his home and Caroline. Being who he was, Norman didn't want to leave her behind thus he proposed to her.

A feeling that made him now wonder, if that had been his greatest mistake. By asking for Caroline's hand in marriage inevitably made their marriage utterly and bar nearly miserable. Sure, they appeared happy and acted like newlyweds as a front to the crowd and their children but...Alone? they barely talked with one another. Actually, they seemed to make it their goal to avoid each other unless it was absolutely necessary. Despite that, they had managed to survive the marriage until recently. Running his hand through his hair, Norman contemplating on what he was going to tell May and Max... or rather when he was going to tell them. He was unsure at just how they would react to this situation.

He didn't want either of them to jump to conclusion or worse, come to hate their mother. They were far too young to understand that not every marriage worked out!

Coming to Sunyshore City was probably the best thing for him to have done, it would give him the space he needed in order to gather his thoughts and think about how to approach the subject at hand. Carefully. He had to avoid causing any type of damage.

"Pull yourself together, Norman." He told himself placing his hand upon the bridge of his nose. "Standing here isn't going to change anything. You need to be a man and deal with this, it's just the way things are." The dark haired man let loose a heavy and smiled painfully, gazing at the Pokeballs on his belt. "Right guys?"

No answer came as Norman continued to stand alone in the middle of the path. Now that he was finally alone allowed himself to gain the level of solitude Norman desired in order to think things through rational and maturely before making taking the necessary first step into what was to come. Consequently, Norman wasn't entirely sure if he was even ready to talk with Caroline in fact he wasn't even sure returning home was such a good idea or healthy for that matter. As horrible as it sounded, it was simply how he felt. No more complicated than that.

Time and space away from one another would do each other good.

At least that's what he kept telling himself anyway. It was strange at the twist within his heart, it wasn't...pain. Perhaps this was emotional fatigue?

"I'm over thinking this." Norman told himself. "I need to stop stressing over this and get back to Petalburgh, I have to deal with this quickly, calmly and maturely as possible-Agh!" felt his foot catch unexpectedly causing him to fall face first, right onto the ground. "Owwwww..." A painful groan escaped his lips. "That wasn't...smart."

Another groan reached his ears causing Norman to instantly shoot up and gape in horror. H... he didn't trip over a poor and injured Pokemon did he? Hearing another weak moan allowed himself to trace the source of the voice that landed upon a pair of legs.

_Human _legs.

* * *

><p>It had been such a long time since Volkner had allowed himself to smile, fully and honestly. He had continued to look and stare at the young man, whom was gazing back at him. The emerald orbs that held curiosity at his sudden introduction. At first, he had dismissed it as mere disorientation of being swept from the sea...but the longer he looked at him, he could see the truth coming from them. The younger had no idea what he had meant.<p>

It took all of his might not to swallow, loudly or thickly. Apprehension was making his blood boil, rapidly at this revelation. It was absolutely enticing. Nevertheless, Volkner found himself smirking despite that fact. This was something new, something worthy of capturing his attention. Harry continued to gaze up at him with an unrelenting heavy stare. Yet, it was not that power that Volkner had initially noticed foremost, but rather the sincerity and honesty that came from Harry instead. Even then, Volkner also was unable to deny how beautiful the younger male looked; dark raven hair and slightly tanned skin that oddly reminded him of his own region.

Ignoring the memory, Volkner focused his attention back up the younger male. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright, I guess." Harry replied nonchalantly. His eyes began to wander around the room as a bemused expression crossed his face, as he continued to take the hospital room in. "...by the way, thanks. I guess, for bringing me to the hospital." The awkwardness of the boy's gratitude made him chuckle fondly.

"It's fine." Volkner dismissed easily. "I wasn't doing anything important anyway." _'Not like there is anything important for me to do.'_

Becoming the Sunyshore Gym Leader had always been his dream, ever since he had seen his mother taking down an Onix by using her Jolteon alone. It was what inspired him to go on his journey as a Pokemon trainer, he had journeyed first through his home of the Sinnoh region, battling against the old Oreburgh Gym which had originally used Flying types. It was the first gym where he had utilized his starter Pokemon's Thunder wave attack resulting in him winning the battle. Winning that match created a spark that would remain with him through the years as he traveled region to region dominating the gyms and the leagues with ease, his strength and name had become known nearly throughout the entire world. Yet, he had not managed to conquer his most desired opponent of all: His mother, the Sunyshore Gym Leader.

He had trained day in and day out, every single day in order to polish the skills of his Pokemon and prepare them for the upcoming fight against his mother. He had selected each and every one of his Pokemon carefully in order to combat his mother on even ground. He even re-challenged the Gym leaders of the region as one last preparation before taking her on. Once that day had come, Volkner forced all the courage within him to rise up as he charged into his mother's gym and fought against her; a full six on six battle. He didn't want it any other way. The match between them had been a long and fierce one, only each of them having one Pokemon left standing.

His Pikachu versus his mother's strongest Pokemon: Ampharos. Neither of them was willing to give as his Pikachu and the Ampharos dished out attack after attack, relentlessly and with no mercy. Recalling how frightened he had been and the tension that came from those moments, everything had been riding upon one of them falling. Victory or defeat.

He couldn't afford to lose. Not after he worked so hard in order to overcome her! With that, he had unleashed all of his frustration into the air, commanding his Pikachu to finish off the Ampharos with Iron Tail. The attack meets Ampharos from the air, slashing down roughly. The gym had gone silent with anticipation, waiting for the smoke to be cleared and the victor to be unveiled. To say that everyone in the room was stressed out by the slow reveal was merely an understatement, the sounds and whispers in the gym circulated from one end to the other eagerly waiting the conclusion.

The smoke had cleared... he had won.

From that day onward, he had taken over his mother's position as the Sunyshore Gym Leader. Finally allowing her to retire after nearly thirty years of professional dedication as a Gym Leader; leaving to live with her brother back in Olivine City.

Volkner never asked her nor did he bring up his father regarding that decision. It was probably one of his more smarter moves.

That was three years ago. Now, Volkner didn't quite regret taking the title of Gym Leader from his mother even so, the longer he remained being one, the longer the thrill of battling began to leave him quicker and quicker with each passing moment. The challengers that came to him, to take his Beacon Badge, had been pathetic and dispassionate. Unfortunately it was true, no matter what the challenger, who they were or where they were from, the match ended with him winning. Boring him utterly. His handsome features darkened considerably, relaying the pathetic battles one after another.

Which is why he had been at the docks early in the morning, it was something to do... anything to spark his interest once more. It sounded arrogant and pigheaded, Volkner would concede to that, and it might be greedy to a level but all he wanted was something to electrify the dulling bulb inside of him.

Until now. Blue eyes locked on to the emerald green ones.

Volkner smiled slightly while observing the young boy squint around the room, probably realizing that he wasn't wearing his glasses. Chuckling softly to himself, his arm stretched towards the desk and grabbed them, before holding them up.

"Looking for these?" Volkner questioned bemused, his smile was faint taking in the shocked look. "I was wondering when you were going to notice that these were missing."

Harry grinned feeling embarrassed, "T-Thanks, Volkner." As he took them and placed it back on to his face. After a few minutes, he frowned only to remove them for a moment whipping them clean before placing them back on. "There, much better."

"See properly?" Volkner then cursed himself for his stupidity.

Harry didn't seem to acknowledge it, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess." He seemed to return his attention upon the room once again pressing his lips together, going into deep thought. "Hey, Volkner? Is it possible to get out of here?"

"I don't see why not." Volkner answered truthfully. "Not a fan of hospitals?"

"Not in the least," was the instant reply.

Volkner chuckled. "Don't worry, neither am I. I'll have to sign you out though, since I am the one that brought you here. How about I give you a tour of the town?" Getting out of the stuffy room would be good for the both of them plus it would allow him to gain information from Harry, figuring out how he ended up in the ocean. There had been no reports of any ship crashes or history of horrible weather in the past few weeks thus leaving Harry's case to be rather ambiguous and strange. Just talking with the younger boy had allowed Volkner to figure out that Harry wasn't the suicidal type to have jumped into the ocean currents; there had been no injuries that could be found. First thing was first, getting a doctor to the room.

As luck would have it, the hospital wasn't as busy as Volkner had original thought it had been. He had managed to page a doctor within the first twenties which was absolutely amazing, thank Arceus for that. He waited by the side observing silently as the doctor began to seize Harry up. The words and terminology that the doctor was sprouting out he barely understood, while others he had managed to catch here and there. Unfortunately, his knowledge regarding the medical field was very narrow. Despite the so-called training, his father gave him as a child. Images of his childhood began to flash through his brain only for Volkner to push them back into the darkest corners of his mind. Now was not the time to stride down memory lane.

The doctor hummed. "Well, everything seems to look all right. Still, you are very lucky to be alive another minute longer and you could have been died." Looking over his shoulder towards where Volkner was. "Well, I don't see any reason to keep him. He can go."

"That's good." Volkner stated, removing himself from the wall. "Thank you."

The doctor shook his head. "No need to thank me, Volkner. I am simply a man that is doing his job." He sent the younger man a rather pointed look that seemed to create tension between them. He knew exactly what the older man was referring to and frankly, Volkner could care less.

"Anyway, we'll be going now." Volkner briskly replied stuffing his hands into his pockets. He did not need nor did he want another pointless lecture, especially from someone that didn't know him. Heading towards the door, he didn't bother to glance back.

"So, we head to the reception disk?"

"Yeah."

Harry didn't bother to ask or question about what had happened in the room and for that Volkner was thankful. It was nice to finally have someone that didn't pry into his own personal affairs... and only knew him by his name rather than his title. Besides, it was refreshing to finally being able to have a nice and normal conversation without people butting into his business! Unlike a certain someone, whose name was going to be left unmentioned for OBVIOUS REASONS. Volkner gripped his hand into a fist as he suppressed the bubbling blood that threatened to go sky high.

Harry stopped. "Huh."

"What?" Volkner asked.

Harry seemed to have calculating look, as if he was contemplating on something before dismissing the matter. "No, it's nothing. Forget about it. I'm just being stupid."

"You just got pulled out of the water." Volkner chided not unkindly. "You're going to be disoriented; your thoughts will probably be all over the place. C'mon, you can stay at my place for a bit."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to impose upon you."

"You're not." Volkner instantly answered, wearing a gentle smile. "It would be nice to have company over for once." Anyone other than Flint or League Members harassing him on a daily bases, this was probably the first day where he finally could get moments of peace from the endless hounding. Making his way over to the reception desk, he quickly signed the necessary papers in order to release Harry into his care before motioning the younger male towards the door. Grabbing one of his Pokeballs from his belt he carelessly tossed it into the air, unleashing the powerful shining light as he watched it form into one of his beloved Pokemon.

Standing tall and proud with its black mane hanging majestically in the air, it's narrowed eyes landed upon him only to raise with joy and pounce over to him. Volkner chuckled a bit as his hands rather through the energetic lion's fur, showering it with much affectionate as possible. He always made sure that his Pokemon were well taken care of and knew how much he appreciated each and every one of them, after all they had been together as long as he could remember. They were his family even more so than his blood family, as horrible as it sounded.

Volkner glanced back and was surprised at the perplexed look on Harry's face, as he stared directly at Luxray with a look of confusion, awe and disbelief. "What's wrong?" Volkner questioned rubbing the lion's mane affectionately. "Never seen a Luxray before?" Harry shook his head slowly, utterly speechless. Volkner chuckled as he stood. "Then today is your lucky day! Luxray is an electric lion Pokemon that is native to the Sinnoh region. He's been with me since I first captured him as a Shin...x..." His voice trailed off only to frown with worry. "Harry?"

"W...what are Pokemon and what are you talking about?"

* * *

><p>"Let me get this straight. You were fighting against your psychotic murderous criminal of a cousin, while taunting her and ended being taken off guard and thrown through a curtain."<p>

A pause.

"Yes, that's exactly what I said."

Leaning back onto the chair exasperated, Norman placed his fingers upon the bridge of his nose and squeezed gently as he tried to process this new found information. He was uncertain whether or not that what the man, Sirius, had told him was absolute truth. Yet, when he stared deeply into the dark blue orbs Norman could tell that what Sirius had just told him had actually happened. Stranger things have happened over the course of the last few years, many legendaries starting springing up as if they were growing off trees especially from what he had heard from his kids so why would this be any different? Still, Norman couldn't help but feel a strange chill run up his spine.

The problem? He didn't know if it was a pleasurable one or an ominous one.

"Well." Norman stated crossing his arms wearing an amused smirk on his face and chuckled full heartedly. "That is probably one of the most interesting tales I have ever heard. Though, I do not doubt the sincerity in your words."

"Thanks?" Was Sirius's reply, looking uncertain.

Norman simply smiled. "Still it's a miracle that you weren't injured or worse. I'm just glad that I was able to stumble upon you when I did, you could have wandered around without any sense of knowledge of where you were."

"True." Sirius replied looking thoughtful before frowning. Passing through the veil had oddly been rather painful, moving his arms and wincing as he felt the surge of pain run through it. He didn't completely understand the circumstances as to why he had survived and just how he was in this much pain, he still had to get home back to Harry. He didn't entirely trust Dumbledore to not let anything happen to his Godson, or Remus for that matter. Despite that they had rekindled their friendship; it seemed that Remus had drifted into the Dumbledore's camp following the man's every order and suggestion as if it was words were the great truth. It made him sick to his stomach watching people fawn over the man, like he was a God. When in reality, he was nothing more than a senile old man that had been in power for far too long for Sirius' liking and even though he would admit that the old man had done some good; he didn't trust Dumbledore with the lives of others. He was no commander, only a chess player that had out-grown his own game.

The way he callously treated Harry and his friends... it was if that they were nothing more than mere pawns being ready to be polished and thrown into the storm without a glance or aid. Sacrificial lambs. The very thought of using the three, one his own Godson, made him nearly want to vomit. Granted, Sirius fully understood that the war was HARRY'S war. Not Dumbledore's, yet no one would allow themselves to see it that way. Especially after all the hell that his Godson had been forced to endure (which he had heard second hand from Fred and George, only to end up punching a hole through the wall.) and then being treated like a child and told to go and hide.

Fools. That lot of them, they were so scared that they couldn't even say Voldemort. Watching them all flinch with fear or cringe at the very sound or syllable of that snake's name made him laugh hollowly; they were no soldiers or members of the Order. Only drones and mindless slaves to Dumbledore only granted access due to that. The members that were even worth mention were Mad-Eye, Shacklebolt and on a lesser note, Minerva. Other than that, there really was no one that could truly be considered a "true member". Cynical as it sounded, it was unfortunately the truth of the matter. The others were far too blinded and wearing eerie mocking rose colored glasses that made them believe as long as Dumbledore was around; everything would be alright and work out in the end.

By the Circe, that sounded so horrible cheesy and wrong. It left a vile taste in his mouth.

Still, Sirius mused to himself as his eyes began to size the man sitting beside him with a fond and somewhat lecherous expression._ 'At least there was some good that came out of it.' _"At least I was able to be saved by a cutie like you." Winking and grinned widely, watching as the other man's blinked in surprise before allowing a smile, if a bit shaky, form handsomely on his face. "Seriously though, Thanks..." and he meant it too. He had absolutely no idea where he was or how he ended up where he did in the first place, it was safe to say that the veil was likely the reason.

"It's no problem. I'm just glad that I was able to help!" Norman replied scratching the back of his head, beaming rather happily.

Sirius grinned. "You should smile more often, it suits you." Getting another blush from the man made his smile grow even wider, watching and feeling the wind blow through his hair as it touched the edges of his skin sending a pleasant feeling spreading through him. It had been far too long since he had been able to feel the nice breeze and experience the burning feel of the sun's rays from above him, being confined in Grimmauld place had been bad, not only for him mentally but also physically. How was he supposed to get enough exercise if he was stuck inside all day, being forced to clean his own house day in and day out, while being treated like scum by Molly?

As much as he appreciated company he did not appreciate her attitude towards him for that matter. She and her family were HIS guests, NOT that other way around and he was certain that he would have never treated her the way she had treated him if he had been staying with them. Yet, he forced himself to endure the abuse and created a smiling facade in order to keep himself from blowing up at her. He refused to allow her to win and prove her selfish, biased opinions to be right. The only reason he had managed to keep himself from doing so wasn't just because of the kids being around them, but at the fact that there were days and moments that watching the woman making a fool out of herself amused him to no end.

He was glad to get away from her... and truth be told, Molly Weasley hadn't been the only reason why he was glad to get away from that place. Unfortunately and as painful as Sirius had forced himself to realize and admit had been the fact that Remus also played a rather big role in his sense to get away from everything. He loved Remus, once romantically only for it to degrade into a brotherly sense of familiarity. He appreciated his friend's company and his voice of reason yet it irked him to no end watching and seeing him blindly act as an instrument to Dumbledore and Molly, following their every command and request like a muggle machine! Whenever something bad had occurred or a sign of protest came from him, Remus would instantly jump at his throat and berate him, while in a polite and condescending manner as if he was some child that needed to be disciplined. Of course, Sirius knew that the reason Remus acted that way was because of his grateful he was towards Dumbledore and how he had taken him into Hogwarts as a child and then as a Professor, though as to why he was so friendly and obedient to Molly? He hadn't the foggiest.

Frankly it pissed him off that Remus would chose them over his own friend. Actually now that he had thought about it Sirius wasn't so sure that they were even friends anymore anyway, with the way everything had been going.

The very thought of that made his heart hurt. Years of friendship... thrown away due to blind devotion...

It made Sirius sick to his stomach. He shifted himself backwards and stared up at the sky only to feel the soberness of his face while gazing at the huge, wide blue sky that hanged above him, allowing his eyes to close and once again feel the gentle breeze press against him... it satisfied him. This place felt far different than back home, it felt far gentler than back home yet the magic surrounding had more depth and power within it. It was almost suffocating and enticing at the same time, never before had he felt such power in his entire life. Not even Dumbledore produced that much magical presence or applied so little pressure that it still overflowed with magic. 

It was exhilarating.

"Something wrong, Sirius?" Norman asked with concern snapping the other man from his thoughts.

Sirius smiled, despite the circumstances. "nah, I just realized something is all." He was free... he was finally free, and that was probably the greatest epiphany of all. No longer would he have to eat rats or hide amongst the shadows in order to survive, but he could finally kick back and relax for a change. His heart twisted into a knot as Harry entered his mind, nearly cursing himself, he couldn't allow his Godson to fight the war without him... or leave him with people whom regarded him as nothing more than pawn!

His face darkened. He wouldn't allow it.

"Chatot!" A cheery voice spoke from above him. Sirius blinked and felt his eyes nearly bug out of their sockets are looked face to face with a strange looking bird that was perched upon his shoulder, while Sirius had grown up around all types of birds as a child, the way this bid looked completely and utterly freaked him out. Its head was in the shape of a giant musical note, yet had eyes and beak plus seemed capable of communicating and flying its small blue wings. Oddly enough, its tail was in the shape of a note as well. Yet it's underneath its muzzle was some yellow feathers and its stomach green. In other words, the bird looked completely and utterly ridiculous.

"What the hell is that thing!" Sirius explained jumping back and pushing the bird off staring at it with shock. His mind was busy trying t wrap it's self around the bird's appearance and seemed to be failing, what kind of bird was it!

Norman chuckled wearing a soft smile. "It's a Chatot, a flying type Pokemon. It's only native to the Sinnoh region, though. Never seen one up close to one before." He glanced back at Sirius, unable to help but chuckle at the incredulous expression that was on the man's face. "It's just a bird, Sirius." He reassured his new friend, struggling to keep the bemused smile that was threatening to break on his face. "I'm pretty sure that he's not going to hurt you."

Sirius eyed the bird carefully as he slowly stood, looking at it. "A... Chatot?" He said the name, allowing it roll off his tongue as if tasting it. Frowning and shaking his head. "This is just way too weird for me, let's get out of here."

Norman inclined his head. "Alright, there's a Pokemon Centre in town." Pointing towards the direction of the city, it shined brightly and proudly exhibiting quite profoundly while underneath the sun's rays. "We can go and stay there for a bit, than we can go from there."

"Sounds good!" Sirius remarked stretching his arms out, and ended up falling silent. "Norman?"

"Um?"

"What are Pokemon?"

"W...what are Pokemon?" Norman repeated the question and blinked rapidly, rather stunned by it. Yet at the same time, he felt that the question was founded the longer he saw the confused and curious look on Sirius' face. A smile slowly slipped upon his face. "Well Pokemon are creatures like Chatot here, possessing incredible abilities and intelligence such as creating whirlpools and even understanding human speech. Chatot, sit on my arm." Reaching out, and followed as the bird perched upon his arm. "See? As I said Chatot is a Flying type Pokemon which is one of the seventeen types which include the Flying I mentioned, Electric, Fire, Water, Grass, Bug, Rock, Ground, Steel, Poison, Psychic, Dark, Fighting, Normal, Ghost, Ice and Dragon. Not all Pokemon are seen in the same area or region, like I mentioned earlier. Many children at the age of ten are permitted to become Pokemon Trainers, either challenging gyms or contests while others purpose careers like nursing or the other various careers involving Pokemon. I started my journey at the age of ten, and have worked my way up into becoming the Hoenn Rank 5 Gym Leader."

"Rank 5? Gym Leader? Trainer?" Sirius asked hurriedly trying to understand the terms that Norman was using.

"Each region has it's own set of Gym Leaders ranking from Level 1 to Level 8. One being the weakest and eight being the strongest, next to the Elite Four and the Champion that is." Norman answered truthfully. "I'm a rank 5 Gym Leader, so I'm pretty strong. A Gym Leader's job is to test trainers that come to their gyms in order to gain badges for the Pokemon League. My badge is the Balance badge."

"So... trainers go out and train Pokemon?" Sirius asked slowly as he was able to understand what Norman was saying.

"That's right." Norman held up a red and white ball from his belt. "This is called a Pokeball, we use these in order to capture Pokemon after battling them. However, keep in mind that just because you captured them, that they will listen to you. Pokemon are proud creatures and will not ally or respect those that they deem as weak."

Sirius nodded. Pressing his lips together, this all felt far too similar to owning a House-Elf except Pokemon being used in battle and captured in small mechanical balls. "So, are they just used for fighting?"

"No." Norman instantly replied bluntly. "While Pokemon are indeed fighting creatures, many Pokemon help out at various places such as businesses, charities or even help looking after the house as pets or caretakers."

Sirius thought for a moment, special abilities maybe... just maybe he would be able to find a way home than. "How weird...where do I sign up?" Sirius asked grinning widely. This was at least one step forward in his life and one Sirius was certain he wouldn't regret.

* * *

><p>It wasn't his place to judge.<p>

Harry knew this well. He was trapped in an entirely different or even a parallel world compared to his own, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. However, that was not the many reason for his displeasure and distance, after learning about Pokemon from Volkner, he wasn't sure of what to think or feel. He couldn't deny the disgust within his stomach as he had minor flashbacks to his time with the Dursleys, although while he walked down the streets with Volkner and saw how well the older male treated his Luxray and the children that were happily playing with their Pokemon, and their Pokemon playing with their trainers, Harry could see and feel the happiness that emitted from them. A mutual bond forged between them, it actually reminded him of Dobby and him in all honesty.

That didn't mean that Harry overall approved of them being kept in balls. The image of a Pokemon being thrown into his cupboard, and left there for long periods of time with little to no food and no way out, seeped into his mind. The very notion of placing a living being, regardless if they possessed special abilities or not; and being forced into that type of situation left him unnerved. Even he had not gotten out of that type of predicament entirely unscratched, such as his minor claustrophobia. While it wasn't that bad, he couldn't stand being in small spaces for long periods of time.

His throat went dry as he glanced towards the Pokeball that was strapped onto Volkner's belt. A lump formed in his throat all of a sudden. What would it be like to be stuck in that ball anyway? Would it be like his cupboard or possible even worse? His mind blanked out as he thought about it, only being surrounded by red and white, cramped inside the small circular shell. Unable to leave or do anything unless his so-called master deemed it necessary for him to do things he requested.

It nearly made him vomit.

"You're unsettled." Volkner stated, glancing back at him.

"You can tell?" Harry was rather surprised by this. Usually, hardly anyone actually noticed whether or not what he was feeling or what was going through his mind. It... felt nice, having someone to finally pay attention to him like this and yet not being pushy about it.

Volkner's lips twitched a bit, fondly. "I can tell from here. What's wrong?"

"I don't like the idea of Pokeballs." Harry admitted, crossing his arms and glancing away.

"Because it feels like they are being confined into a cramped space. Am I right?" Volkner questioned, only for his smile to grow as he took in the surprised look. "Looks like I guessed correctly." Pulling out a Pokeball and holding it out straight towards Harry. "This Pokeball contains my Pachirisu, look."

Harry lend forward, his eyes widened in surprise at seeing the small squirrel like Pokemon, which looked up at him with a giant smile before it began to wave its tiny arms energetically. He could practically feel the warmth and energy from the small squirrel, it caused him to smile and start waving back.

"See?" Volkner stated warmly, looking at him with a gentle expression. "The red part of the Pokeball is see through, so we can see how they Pokemon are doing. That way, we can see the condition of the Pokemon, encase they are either poisoned or severely injured. Utilizing the Pokeball allows the trainer to transport said Pokemon with ease to the nearest Pokemon Centre, instead of being forced of carrying it by themselves."

"So it's more for transportation?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"In a manner of speaking!" Volkner answered truthfully placing the Pokeball back on his belt.

"Well..." Harry shifted his body uncomfortably as he allowed this information to sink in. "I guess-"

A large piercing whine cut him off as both of their heads snapped towards the source of the cry, fully gaining their attention. Without any hesitation, the two of them leapt forward and went searching for the owner of the cry, judging by the sound of it, Harry could tell that it had not belonged to a human.

"This way!" Volkner growled sharply making the left turn and was quickly followed by Harry, together they slid to a halt only to stare in absolute horror and disgust.

"T-that's a-!"

* * *

><p>Chapter two End.<p>

I didn't even reveal the Pokemon that Volkner and Harry found, aren't I evil? Mwahahahahahaha!

Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, along with anyone that is following along. I'm very happy that all of you are enjoying the fic! I would also like to point out, that there will be absolutely NO BASHING in this fic. However, this does not meant that there will be a lack of character confrontation and aggression. If it seems that I maybe leaning towards bashing please inform me immediately.

Other than that, I hope everyone has a good Valentine's Day, and please leave constructive criticism with Pokemon suggestions for Harry and Sirius!


	3. Surprise!

Chapter Three: Surprise!

"LEAVE ME ALONE YOU STUPID BIRD! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

Norman gazed at the scene completely in awe only for his bemusement to betray his inner thoughts. The entire scene made him torn between laughing his ass off and feeling utter pity for Sirius, the Chatot circling above him calling after the man repeptively, ever so often taking the advantage of Sirius' angered state to swoop down and steal his food leading to the increase of the other man's frustrations. The flying-type seemed to enjoyed the ruckus Sirius was making obviously enjoying egging him on and stealing the food that lay upon his plate.

"Calm down, Sirius." Norman began trying to stifle the laughter, his lips constantly twitching threatening to break out into an amused smile. "I'm sure that Chatot doesn't mean to irritate you... and steal your food." Adding in the last part silently the man simply feigned innocently upon receiving the poisonous look being directed at him.

The sound of Sirius' stomach beginning to growl stretched through the air reaching to Norman and Chatot as they focused their attention on Sirius, whom was now looking rather flustered at revealing his hunger so easily. He knew that it wasn't something that he should be ashamed after spending twelve years in Azkaban prison slowly begin starved to death as the Dementors haunted his cell, feeding off the negative emotions in order to increase their power and hold over the prisoners that were locked within the horrible prison. In his case, Sirius was absolutely innocent of his crimes and thrown into Azkaban without a second thought damned due to the misfortune of his name 'Black' thus being classified as unstable and traitor to the so-called _light_. Even Remus had turned his back on him never once believing in his innocence, only finally reaching out to him when seeing Wormtail's name on the map, coming to his rescue resulting in gaining Harry's trust and love.

Everything seemed to be going in his favour with the exception of being locked in his old family home, being forced to listen to the rot his _dear _mother sprouted out viciously and the traitorous mumbles of Kreacher, whom was planning his demise-Sirius had been able to catch on to that unknown to the old decrepied house-elf. The downside had been the fact he had allowed himself to get cocky once leaving Grimmauld Place, taunting his dearest cousin Bellatrix and met his near end by getting pushed through the veil, ending up where he was now. Without Harry.

His poor godson probably had been shipped straight back to the Durlseys with little to no food and water, starving and working to the point of death. His fears probably were not too far off the mark from what he had managed to overhear from the Weasley twins, about the bars upon Harry's windows during his second year, barely able to get away as that fat bastard Vernon nearly torn Harry's leg off by grabbing onto him, trying to pull Harry back into the house. Sirius never had been so utterly thankful for the twins and Ron for being able to get Harry to the Burrow...and back to the bone-crushing arms of Molly Weasley. Frankly, Sirius did his best in order to treat the woman with much civility and sincerity as possible only it was very difficult to keep up when she jumps at his throat at every given chance, insulting him with much glee in front of the children or more specifically Harry, wanting to damage what little reputation and faith he had in front of his godson. If it wasn't for Harry, he would have ripped her throat out.

That woman was in laymen terms; a huge fucking bitch.

The rest of the Weasleys Family wasn't that bad with a few exceptions here and there just as there was with every family, there tended to be a few misguided and black sheep. He knew that well enough considering he was the _black sheep_of his own family.

Sirius generally liked the majority of the Weasley family and got along with them more times than not, there were several exceptions to that unfortunately. Ron, was Harry's best and closest friend, reminded him large of himself during his younger years, willingly to sacrifice his life for his friend under the pressure and in life threatening situations. At least that's what he had generally thought until he had discovered about the betrayal as he eavesdropped upon the unknowing students of Hogwarts, Ron acting all jealous of Harry refusing to believe in his innocence about entering the Triwizard Tournament, overreacting like an overgrown child that had gotten his favourite toy taken away from him. Needless to say Sirius' respect for the boy had greatly decreased upon gaining that tidbit of information, even though Harry and Ron managed to make up during the first task, becoming Harry's hostage during the second task, Sirius continued to keep an eye on him waiting to see if he'd get back in his good graces. Unfortunately, the boy was callous towards those around him unable to keep his anger in check, lashing at those that didn't agree with him or assumed were putting him down.

Sirius had no problem admitting he had some issues in controlling his emotions, but never would he callously would talk down to someone, with the exception of Snape. That man was crawling with evil and maliciousness yet he was the only one that was able to sense it. Ron, on the other hand, was a childish boy that simply refused to grow up and realize that the world did not revolve around him or his pettiness. The boy continued to remain loyal to Harry, but he knew from Hermione's tear filled nights that Ron was abusing his privileges as a Prefect forcing the girl to become the 'bad guy' out of the two and 'ruining' everyone's fun. Sirius couldn't imagine what she was going through and often wondered whether or not he had been the exact same way when Remus was a Prefect. Sirius still hadn't fully forgiven the girl for forcing Harry to be the leader of the so-called 'DA' going behind Harry's back spreading it around, she didn't have the right to do that.

Sirius was unable to properly scowl her when she was crying. He never knew what to say or do when he saw one of the opposite sex crying, so he tried taking the parental approach and listen to her. After hearing her out and giving the girl advice that Sirius hoped helped her, he gave her a warning about friendship and going behind backs before sending her back to bed. Hermione was a good girl, if a bit emotional stunned and fragile, he knew that all, the girl needed was more socializing outside of Hogwarts would do her some much needed good.

Fred and George he had gotten along with just fine, even though Sirius could even admit that the twins could be a handful at times. They were reminiscent of James and him when they were growing up, only they seemed to be in control of themselves and knew the boundaries between play and duty. However, several of their pranks did come off as malicious and, at times, very lethal. Not that they had intended them to be that way from the looks of it, even so Sirius kept a close on the twin in order to prevent a catastrophe from occurring in the house. Despite his loathing of his old family home, the Order needed it in order to 'conduct' their missions and return to if they found themselves unable to head home. It left a bitter taste at just how comfy everyone seemed to make themselves upon entering Grimmauld place, walking around as if they owned it. Not that he would mind personally, but they were guests in the house. Not residents.

Which brought Sirius to one of his main problems.

Ginny Weasley.

The very name caused him to shudder violently in disgust. That girl was trouble with a capital T. In public and first glance she came off as the typical nice-nice younger sister, trying to prove them and backing up the morale when things were down. But, that was further from the truth. She was a manipulative and greedy girl that strived to capture Harry's affection, and his alone. Sure, she kept the facade of only being his friend while holding the fact she had a boyfriend outside the walls of the house-only she didn't have one. Late at night, he had seen her stirring something in the kitchen checking on it every so often before using the washroom, not taking any chance he would sneak in and ruin whatever she was making with a whip of his wand or adding the wrong ingredient. He refused to take any chances especially when he had overheard the rumours of Mrs. Weasley having brewed Amortentia back in the day.

Sirius didn't hold the woman in high regard nor did he like her very much, but picturing her making and using it on a person made his stomach twist into a knot. He didn't actually think she would be so open and blunt about it, then again perhaps that was how Ginny got the idea from. Using a love potion just like dear old Molly or even better, manipulating her mother into giving her, showing her how to perfect the potion and the duration it would take for it to be completed. Needless to say, she was a danger to everyone around her.

Sirius had been deeply tempted to turn the girl into a cow or use some other method against her and the disgusting obsession that she seemed to have developed. Normally, Sirius would prefer avoiding utilizing such spells, but when Harry came home to question him about privacy and security charms in houses or, more specifically rooms. That was when the line has been crossed. Harry had forgone the shy treatment when Ginny entered the room and began to look for every possible exit, not even bothering to be subtle about it anymore. Apparently Ginny had decided to become quite close to Harry after the Cho incident and the development of the DA; yet no one seemed to think anything of it. Hearing comments that they were _the next Lily and James!_

It was disgusting.

Yet they seemed to be utterly in love with that idea none of them realizing that Harry was his own person, and not James. People continued to put the pressure on him. A few of them came to mind: Snape for one, Dumbledore for another, Remus on some occasions, Mad-Eye made several comments in private not in a belittling manner, but rather encouraging. He seemed to be the only one that remotely treated Harry as himself and then called out on treating him as if he was James!

He was trying to get close to his godson for crying out loud!

The only two that seemed to believe in him were Bill and Charlie, the eldest brothers of the Weasley brood. They both seemed vastly intelligent yet keeping some hopefully innocence within them compared to that of Harry and his friends, still it was nice to some people on his side for once and people to take him seriously when divulging into discussions and conversations. It was also nice to see that the two seemed to be able to stand against their mother and their siblings rather then hold their heads down, following mindlessly like the rest of the sheep.

Unfortunately, the two had jobs outside of the Headquarters so it was rare for him to be able to talk to them as he was forced into either listening to Kreacher or being verbally abused by Molly left and right without even a chance to escape or having a moment to recollect himself.

Upon learning that Harry was in danger Sirius leaped into finding him and protecting him...failing miserably, cursing the eagerness he held and how cocky he acted.

"Sirius?" Norman's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, as the man gazed at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

Sirius shook his head, turning his attention to his own empty plate. "Fine...just fine, mourning the loss of my food," resisting the urge to sigh heavily he watched with minor annoyance as the Chatot continued to circle above them, curving its body towards them as the bird slowed down it's pace in order to land perfectly on the table. The bird's eyes locked onto Sirius looking at him with curiosity and expectations. Feeling the feeling of annoyance beginning to increase, Sirius let loose a growl. "What is it you stupid bird!"

Norman shook his head, his lips twitched fondly. "Calm down Sirius...even if it does look like it wants to eat you."

"It does not!" Sirius crossed his arms and pouted, as the other man burst out with laughter. "Hey Norman? Where do we go exactly so I can become a...trainer?" The word sounded strange to him, nonetheless it would allow him to move around freely, trying to find a way back home.

Norman placed his cup on the table. "We go to the Pokémon Centre and talk with Nurse Joy, she'll be able to set you up quick and easy. Though, you'll probably have to get your Pokedex at Sandgem Town from what I've been hearing, apparently the Sunyshore trainer just took the last Pokedex from Sunyshore Pokémon Centre."

"Sandgem?" _Merlin, _that was a weird name for a town.

"It's just west of here. I can take you there myself if you want." Norman answered with a smile.

Sirius paused, gripping the cup. "Do you think it's strange that I'm almost forty and doing this?"

"You're not from this world, Sirius." The other man began calmly wearing a gentle expression as he reached out and gripped the man's hand. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you want to try it you have nothing to fear. My daughter May told me of this one man that started his journey with his daughter when she was travelling around Hoenn."

Sirius blinked. "Daughter?" his heart began to twitch at the mention of a daughter, deciding to ignore it as he concentrated on the man before him watching bewildered at Norman went through several different expressions; calm, realization, pain and finally resignation. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah sorry." Norman apologized. "Didn't I mention that I have kids? My eldest is name May and my youngest is Max, he just set out his journey in Hoenn last year."

"You must be proud of them," Sirius remarked forcing a smile on his face.

Norman sipped his drink. "I guess. I'm not all that thrilled that May decided to do contests, but it is her life. I have no right to dictate what she does, she's old enough now. As for Max, I'm glad he set out on his journey, I just hope that he'll be alright. Either way, they are still my children!" Grinning widely and proudly, scratching the back of his head. "What about you Sirius, do you have any children?"

Unsure as of how to answer the question Sirius thought carefully as the drink went down his throat giving him time to answer. "Well, it's just Harry and me. He's my Godson," Sirius began as he saw the confused look. "In other words, in case of anything happened to Lily and James, Harry's parents, it's my job to look after him."

"Oh..." Norman trailed off softly, his eyes filled with empathy and sadness. "I'm sorry to hear that. I lost someone very dear to me as well."

"Thank you," Sirius whispered quietly under his breath.

The two sat in complete silence, neither of them were able to figure out how to break the ice, shifting uncomfortably in their seats ignoring Chatot whom danced around on the table making as much noise as possible only to become bored at the lack of reaction. Shaking, Chatot set into the air, shooting off widely into the air and circled above the two. Staring at them from above and twitched it's head with interest as they still remained in silence.

"So..." Sirius began slowly decided to ask a question. "What exactly are these 'contests' exactly?"

Norman's nose wrinkled. "Urgh, where do I even start? Basically they take poor innocent Pokémon, having them perform embarrassing tricks in front of the crowd. Sometimes they end up battling an opponent, but it has to be done _stylishly _or else the other opponent wins. Which I think is a completely and utter bullshit, to make things even worse they even dress them up as if they were dolls!"

"That's disgusting," Sirius began just thinking of dressing poor animals into poor dresses or something of distaste appeared. Looking back as he started to recall something from when he had gone to visit Lily's house with James, he remembered Lily seeing a television show about toddlers being dressed up in a rather similar way. "Actually, I think we have something like these contests back home, except instead of Pokémon they used young children instead."

"What." Norman's voice cracked of disbelief.

The more Sirius thought about it, the more he was able to recall. "I remember it vaguely, but yeah. They use children instead of Pokémon."

"That's..." Norman didn't even seem to know how to finish that sentence looking at Sirius with a screwed up expression. "What are they thinking?"

"I know right?" Sirius agreed energetically, holding out his arm as if predicting for Chatot to land upon his arm. "It's horrifying isn't it?"

"Gag worthy," Norman snorted.

Sirius laughed. "I couldn't agree more!" Suddenly, falling silent as an epiphany hit him. "I'm guessing Pokémon Contests are worse?"

"Don't know about that!" Norman stated shaking his head. "How about we move on from Contests and more about Sinnoh?"

Sirius nodded.

The more he knew about Sinnoh and the Pokémon world, the easier his search home would be.

* * *

><p>Harry sat silently, hands held together brought up to his forehead, keeping his eyes trained on the backroom as Volkner sat beside him silently making subtle concerned glanced every now and then, returning his focus upon the emergency room.<p>

'Please let him be okay, please let him be okay!' Harry chanted again and again in his mind, seeing that poor Pokémon in that type of condition made his blood boil. He understood perfectly that Pokémon were fighting creatures by nature and their primal instinct was to grow stronger, he just hoped that the poor thing hadn't been outside for far too long. Grimacing at the possibilities that began to ran through his head, bile threatening to build from his stomach.

His weight of his body shifted turning his attention towards Volkner, gazing gently at him. The other male's hand gripped his shoulder tightly in reassurance. "He will be okay; Nurse Joy is doing everything in her power to make sure of that." Another squeeze came from him. "Alright?"

Harry stared at Volkner in silence. "Yeah," Nodding his head agreeing with older blonde. "You're right... you're absolutely right," Forcing a smile upon his face at the blonde, sharply looking at the blinking _emergency _sign above the door."

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Volkner offered.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

"Me either."

The two sat in silence.

"Volkner?"

..."Yeah?"

"D..." Harry began slowly. "Do Pokémon get ki...die, often?"

If Volkner noticed the slip, he didn't mention it. "It's not that uncommon," Harry looked at the floor. "That's usually in the wild though, with a trainer, it's very rare that they are killed. Since we are taught at young ages how to care and prevent that. Trainer schools also make sure to teach ways to prevent death in trainer battles."

"I see," Harry said softly. "That's good then."

Volkner held his stare. "You're scared."

"Yeah," Harry admitted truthfully. "I am scared."

Volkner nodded. "I figured, you don't have anything to be ashamed of."

"...I know..."

Just as Volkner was about to reply the flashing light on the emergency room blinked out as the doors widened revealing a beautiful young woman with pink hair, and a giant pink creature following behind her. Heading towards them, the woman took a deep breath and smiled gently.

"I have some good news for you," Nurse Joy began with a smile. "He'll be alright. You two got him here just in time."

Harry sighed with relief, faintly smiling. "I'm glad to hear that. Thank you Nurse Joy!"

"See?" Volkner gave Harry a smug look. "I knew I was right!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You're right, I was worrying for nothing. Sorry for doubting your all knowing-ness."

"You're forgiven, not-so knowledgeable one!"

Harry shot him a look. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Immensely."

"I thought so."

Volkner smirked. "I'm flattered you think you know me so well."

"Whatever floats your boat, Volkner." Harry dismissed rolling eyes fondly.

Nurse Joy struggled to keep herself from laughing at the banter between the two of them. "Unfortunately, it will take awhile for him to recover fully. I suggest coming back tomorrow, he should be alright then."

"But-!" Volkner hand stopped Harry from continuing, the two looked at each other in silence. "...Alright, we'll be back tomorrow."

Nurse Joy nodded, sympathetically. "I understand, I will see you tomorrow then. In the mean time you take care of each other, understand?"

"Yes Nurse Joy!" Volkner replied instantly use to the motherly treatment from the woman. Waving lazily heading towards the exit leading Harry with him as he kept a trained on upon the younger boy, noticing how worried the kid he draped an arm over his shoulder, cautiously of course. "We'll come back tomorrow, nice and early."

Harry nodded slowly, giving a teeny smile. "Yeah, thanks Volkner."

"No problem, kid." Volkner grunted not unkindly.

The raven haired boy snorted. "I'm not a kid."

"How old are you?" Volkner asked curiously, he did ask how old the Harry actually was and assumed he was at least somewhere in his teens. It wasn't that difficult to pinpoint just how old Harry was and quite frankly he never bothered to assume it. Now that he had brought it up his curiosity demanded to be satiated.

"I'm fifteen, nearly sixteen." Harry answered truthfully. "How old are you?"

Volkner smirked. "Twenty, so I'm a few years older then you."

"How long have you been training Pokémon?" Harry stated with a smile.

Volkner chuckled. "About ten years, remember what I told you? Most trainers start off at the age of ten for they're journey's."

"Oh." Harry flushed. "Y-you must have travelled to a lot of different places then!"

"Well...I wouldn't say that," Volkner felt slightly embarrassed yet pleased by the attention. "Let's see, I've travelled here in Sinnoh, since this is my home town then I travelled to Hoenn, the Orange Islands, Johto, Kanto, then Unova, and Holon before returning here to Sinnoh. I ended up taking over the Sunyshore Gym when my mother retired."

"Are all gym leaders related in some manner?" Harry asked.

Volkner looked thoughtful. "In some cases, I know that the Oreburgh Gym Leader and the Canalave Gym Leader are son and father, other than that I don't really know," shrugging his shoulders rather lazily at his statement. "My job is to challenge the opponent, not pry into the lives of my co-workers."

"Not a social person." Harry stated not unkindly at the blonde.

"I do have a social life. Just a relatively limited one," the electric gym leader answered. "I do enjoy being around people, I just do it in spurts rather than as a whole."

Harry nodded understand completely where Volkner was coming from, after the events of his second and fourth year his trust in people had been shatter beyond repair. Choosing the limited social interaction with the small group of friends that he had gained over the years at Hogwarts, it wasn't that he didn't like the other students but rather he chose to have a quiet interaction with them opposed to being out-going and mixing with everyone else. It simply wasn't his thing.

The teen nodded, empathically. "I can understand that, I'm not one for...social interactions either."

"I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in that!" Volkner cracked a genuine smile.

Harry smiled refreshingly back at the blonde continuing to make they're way to the gym. Gazing up at the brilliant lights and buildings that made up the city, it was an impressive and depressing sight to behold. It wasn't that Harry overly disliked the city, no it was a very beautiful place to see, walking down the roads as he avoided the elevator like street panels.

The problem with the city was how the townsfolk seemed to indulge into the technology aid, allowing it to do things for them rather than doing it themselves. Granted, it saved time and money which was a good thing. But in hindsight, jobs could be lost and inevitably make people become rather lazy and unmotivated. Reminding him, eerily of the wizard world and, just how they constantly depended upon they're magic rather then do things the muggle way. Even the Weasley's, who were strong advocates of muggle and magical rights had snubbed or frowned about muggle things and views. With the exception of Mr. Weasley, of course, he was always eager to learn more about them.

Strangely enough the thought of his friends back home did not even make his heart twist, nor was there even a tiny bit of guilty inside of him. Harry could not deny how badly he felt about the lack of guilt that he should have been feeling, even though he would miss certain people such as Hermione and the rest of his close friends however, that did not mean that there weren't people that Harry could frankly cared less about like Professor Snape, whom belittled and verbally abused him inside and outside of class whenever he had gained the chance. The man was petty and childish, unable to let go of schoolboy grudge, taking it out not only on Harry himself but also his father that had been dead for fourteen, nearly fifteen years!

Harry would admit the way Sirius, his father and Remus had treated Snape in school had been malicious on the same level that Dudley had treated him during his early years thus understanding completely how angry and resentful the bitter man was towards them. However, that had been years ago. In a way, it was almost painfully to see the man unable to grow up and act like an adult, as he clung to the childish hatred and anger built up over the years unleashing it upon them at every chance in order to get a rise out of them. In a twisted sort of way Snape had become exactly what he had despised, a bully. Through and through especially towards those that did not agree with him.

If he ever saw Dudley again as an adult Harry was pretty damn sure he'd at least treat his whale of a cousin with at least civilly and respectfully. It would do him no good to act like an overgrown child like Snape did, someone had to be the mature one after all.

Placing the thoughts of his life in Britain towards the back of his mind, replacing it with his curiosity at the so-called 'gym' that Volkner planned on showing him. He tried to imagine a Pokémon gym only for the first thing to appear in his mind was from his Aunt Petunia's work out videos featuring all those women and men working out on the machines, yet as the gap between them and the gym closed Harry was able to make out the obelisk metallic building and a silhouette of a man standing in front of the doors, with is arm over his forehead.

Volkner's face screwed up in a moment of ire replacing it with a stoic look as the now, auburn man grinned widely approaching them eagerly and filled with energy that Harry could feel from where he was standing.

"Volkner! There you are!" The auburn male stated grinning widely before turning his attention on Harry, still smiling kindly. "A friend of yours?"

"I'm Harry, nice to meet you." Harry greeted sincerely.

The other grinned, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Flint."

Harry gripped Flint's hand, shaking it firmly. "Same here."

"I hope this big lug over here hasn't been giving you too much trouble, he can be a bit difficult from time to time." Flint stated teasingly, smirking at his friend.

Volkner rolled his eyes. "If anyone is difficult, it's you Flint. Actually, I call you irresponsible all the time."

"Ouch." Flint placed his hand over his heart. "That hurt, right here."

"Good. That means you can leave and not die on my property."

"You're heartless man! Absolutely heartless!"

"You just noticed?"

"Awww you're no fun!"

"Are you that wounded?"

"Yes!"

"Good, my job for today is complete then."

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

Harry couldn't help but stare at the two continued to throw insults at another not even blinking or feeling insulted. Heading into the gym, Harry followed behind them quickly rather bemused at the interaction between the two of them, making subtle jabs at each other that completely went over Harry's head as he decided to remain quiet and watch in amusement. It felt different from the way he was with his friends, it felt closer and deeper, they're personalities mixed with the other's well and synching together in harmony, it was something that Harry only dreamed of having with a friend. Not that what he had with Ron and Hermione wasn't wonderful it was just... he couldn't seem to connect with them, especially after fourth year, the summer and the whole DA incident. It felt stale and fractured beyond repair.

"Is this your first time in Sunyshore?" Flint asked kindly.

Harry snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh? Oh yeah..."

Flint nodded slowly, stroking his chin. "I figured, after we pulled you out of the water!"

"Wait what?" Harry said sharply staring at auburn man as he trying to recall what happened focusing on the taller male. "Wait you were with Volkner!"

Flint nodded. "Yeah! You gave us quite a scare you know," shooting Harry a look before vanishing instantly. "It's good to see that you're alright. I'm glad to see that you didn't get bored of having one sided conversations with Volkner over here."

"I don't have 'one-sided conversations' Flint. That's just your imagination acting up again, I thought I told you to keep your head out of the clouds," Volkner remarked giving his friend a tiny glare.

Flint simply waved his hand. "Sure Volkner, whatever you say."

"Now if only if I could get you to clean after yourself," Volkner murmured loud enough for the two to overhear, smirking as he saw Harry snickering from the corner of his eye. A smile broke out on his face before hiding it within the darkness of the room. "Are you two going to stand there all day and chat or what?"

"Going to go and check up on your crew?" Flint asked folding his arms onto his chest.

The golden male shrugged. "Well yeah. I bet they're worried sick since I haven't been here, speaking of which," looking over his shoulder towards Harry, smirking. "How about I show you the team? I only showed you Luxray, after all."

"Well," Harry began slowly looking rather interested, not seeing Flint's surprised look, thinking about the possibilities of seeing all of Volkner's Pokémon. His curiosity eventually won him over. "I guess..."

Volkner smiled. "C'mon then, everyone is in over there," pointing towards the lounging area.

"Ummm...actually Volkner-" Flint began warningly as he was cut off by the sound of the doors opening, revealing a giant burnt orange rat looking creature with yellow circles upon it's cheeks and it's tail shaped like a electrical bolt. It happily made it's way over to Volkner, carrying a small pale egg and lifted it up towards him, beaming excitedly.

"...Flint," the words that escaped from Volkner were cold as steel aiding as the temperature of the room suddenly started to decrease rapidly. The egg was held against his chest protectively and a dark aura began to emit from him that was obviously directed at his red haired friend. ".Hell."

"I don't know!" Flint began holding up his hands defensively."One minute I'm looking and BAM! Raichu is holding an egg! You got to believe me!"

"...Raichu's a boy." Volkner said doubtfully. "And he's honorable."

"I know man!" Flint cried helplessly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Obviously I can't leave the baby in your care," Volkner remarked coldly.

"Excuse me! I'm responsible!" Flint snapped angrily.

"This incident proves that you're not," Was Volkner dismissive reply.

"Listen here asshole-!"

Harry watched as the two began to start getting into an actual argument about the egg and what should happen to it, he felt rather uncomfortable watching it play it feeling that he really had no place to say or do anything due to the fact he only just met them. His eyes glanced downwards noticing the Pokémon looking up at him curiously, smiling gently at him, Harry kneeled down and held out his hand. Raichu tilted it's head looking at him curiously, leaning forward sniffing his hand inch by inch, closing in on him. Several moments later the onyx eyes beamed with happiness looking up at him with an loving expression, making Harry chuckle fondly.

"I'm guessing you're an electric type too, right?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

The Pokémon grinned, punching its stomach proudly. "Rai! Raichu chu!"

"So you're name is Raichu," Harry noted as the Pokémon nodded in confirmation, running his hand through the Raichu's hair fondly. He smiled watching as the electric type hymed with pleasure, relaxing into Harry's touch. "You must be a pretty strong Raichu, right?"

Raichu nodded, grinning. "Rai!"

"I've only met Luxray and you so far," Harry mentioned to Raichu, sitting onto the floor fixing his eyes upon the two. Looking bemused as he addressed the Pokémon. "Are they always like this?"

"R_aaaaaa_i," The Pokémon sighed heavily shaking his head exasperated, and from the looks of it, tired. "Rai chu! Chu chu rai!"

Harry nodded, snickering. "Yeah! I feel for you, I have two friends back home that always fight, everyone says that there's sexual tension between them but..." Shaking his head focusing back to the fight between the two men, it was different from how Ron and Hermione fought. It wasn't sexual tension but rather brothers fighting over the right course of action. Personally he didn't know what would be the right to do since he barely knew them he could really put in his two cents...still..."I don't see why they're fighting over you're egg. I mean, I understand that Volkner's your trainer and obviously, you've mate with one of Flint's Pokémon. So shouldn't it be your decision to whom the egg goes?"

Raichu looked at him in surprise, blinking rapidly at the suggestion. Tilting to the side and frowned, thinking of what Harry had said for several moments before grinning again. The electric type ran over to his master and Flint as they tried to pry the egg away from the other, neither one making much progress. Taking advantage of the fight, Raichu jumped into the air and rotated its body, using it's tail in order to separate the egg from both of them. Grabbing the egg and securing it safely, Raichu inspected the egg for damage after doing so, nodded approvingly. Ignoring the bewildered looks from his master and Flint, Raichu happily went over back towards the dark haired teen, holding up the egg at him.

"Rai!"

"M-me?"

* * *

><p>End chapter 6.<p>

So ends the chapter! I want to thank everyone whom reviewed, I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying the fic and for all the suggestions!

Once again, I have not mentioned the Pokemon that Harry and Volkner saved aren't I evil? I want to apologize for the Ginny part, especially after I said that there would be no bashing. I promise in the future that I shall try and avoid bashing.

Until next time!

Make sure to leave constructive criticism in your review!


	4. Musings

Chapter 4: Musings

"Hmmm...morning already?" A grumble escaped Harry's lips, tiredly opening his eyes. He felt the dense rays of light filtering through the window curtains. Slowly trailing up towards his face, his body had already begun to wake while he moved himself out of the bed. Stretching his arms, he gave a quiet and long yawn. Glancing over towards the egg, completely yellow all over with the exception of the bottom which was painted black spreading upwards with spiky points in each direction, it was sitting quietly on the table resting in the plastic tube; the tube was rather convenient to have around. Briefly smiling at the egg, as he began to put on the clothes he had worn yesterday, before heading straight for the kitchen. Another yawn came from lips, yesterday had been a very long and tiresome day.

Though, having being able to finally get a good night sleep had done him some good all things considering, of course. Between the visions that Voldemort had delightfully sent him every night and the torturous detentions that Umbridge had maliciously forced him to endure, plus the low amount of blood in his system, had done nothing to allow him to sleep soundly. Yet only sleeping once here had completely restored Harry's energy levels back to where they used to be and had the extra bonus of feeling refreshed as well.

Harry felt rather grateful that Volkner and Flint allowed him to crash with them for the night especially since he didn't know the two well enough. Either way he felt indebted to the both of them, for letting him stay with them.

Words could not describe just how _different _the two were compared to the people he knew back home; the way Volkner and Flint insulted each other and roughhoused with the other and yet they held a strong and tight friendship between them. Harry had seen a great deal of fights over the years mostly between Hermione and Ron, the two fought like cats and dogs, their fights were largely ignited by sarcasm or in general anger which was the completely opposite between the two older guys as they took their fights only in jest and fun. Stupid as it sounded it bewildered Harry. That's not to say that he never teased or joked around with Ron and Hermione, just the way Volkner and Flint did it...it was...different. There was no other way to describe it.

Home. Hogwarts.

He felt his heart twist painfully. Ever since he had awaken from the hospital his thoughts had not been on getting back home or his friends, but the situation that he had thrown into and the poor Pokémon that Volkner and him had discovered the other day. Now that he was finally able to sit down and start thinking about it, the overwhelming feeling of guilty began to build up inside of him especially since the reason he had fallen through the veil was because of Sirius...

There was hope. Harry had found himself stuck in this place so a possibility of Sirius ending up in the same world was also high, there was also the fact he was relatively certain that his godfather wouldn't give up without a fight anyway. Somewhere he was certain that Sirius was alright, surviving in his own way and most likely feeling less than pleased like he was. Harry did not appreciate being thrown into a parallel universe, which he was pretty damn certain of at this point. The only option that was left available to Harry try to at least find him, whether or not that Sirius actually ended up in Sunyshore was still up and the air even though it wouldn't be the first time where his bad luck kicked in he at least made the effort to try and be positive.

Unfortunately his knowledge of Sunyshore was rather small only knowing the directions to the Pokémon Centre, the gym and where the hospital was located. The Pokémon from the previous day was still at the Centre being treated by Nurse Joy, making a mental note to stop by there the first chance he got before trying to look for Sirius.

Harry was fully able to protect himself, holding his wand in his hands. It managed to stay with him and not float away or be found by any of the nurses or the doctor, which he considered to be insanely good luck by his standards. He wasn't fond of the idea of being defenceless; being careful however, was the key. He had absolutely no desire to be bombarded by questions or treated like a freak back home until he found out more information about the world he was currently stuck on Harry was going to remain quiet about his magic, even to Volkner and Flint despite their kindness. He just... didn't know how they would react to the idea of magic.

Not that he thought them similar to the Dursleys... it was simply better to be safe rather than sorry.

Slipping his wand straight back into his pocket, he looked around the kitchen and at the dishes from yesterday. He struggled to keep himself from laughing recalling the night before and how Flint had attempted to cook, only to end up burning the food before Volkner had interfered. In retrospective, the one thing he learned was that neither Volkner nor Flint had the capability to cook. At all. It made him wonder how the two managed to survive on their own for so long without being able to cook. Either way it had been a rather hilarious night simply watching the two argue over their own cooking; Flint's burnt meal versed Volkner's mismatched dish, Harry was rather glad that he had not been forced to taste them.

In fact none of them had eaten anything that night due to just how much fun that they were having. Just hanging out, and getting roped into playing strange video games ending with rather interesting results followed by watching Flint getting beaten on by Volkner. It was absolutely exhilarating!

Harry couldn't remember the last time when he had that much fun!

"Sirius would love these guys!" Harry chuckled to himself, looking up at the white ceiling. It hurt thinking about Sirius and not knowing where he was, but Harry wouldn't give up on locating his godfather.

"Who's Sirius?" Flint asked leaning over Harry, looking rather curious.

Harry nearly jumped out of his seat. "W-where the hell did you come from?"

"My room," The redhead answered pointing towards the door. "I saw you out here so I thought I might as well see what you're up to. Aren't I a great guy?"

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Harry snapped, leveling a glare.

Flint held his hands in defense. "Hey sorry man didn't mean to freak you out!"

"You didn't. I just don't like people sneaking up on me. It's creepy." _Not to mention usually the person that does turns out to be evil or attempted to kill me, not that you need to know. _Harry thought dryly. "I was just... thinking of back home is all."

Flint nodded, taking the seat beside him. "Miss it?"

"...I guess," Harry nodded. "But I can't leave until I find Sirius."

"Who is Sirius?" Flint repeated the question. "A boyfriend?"

Harry's lips twitched. "No, my godfather! Why falling for me already Flint?"

"Nah, you're not my type kiddo. Sorry!" Flint grinned widely leaning against his chair and waved his hand. "But...nah," deciding against saying anything. "Ready to head to the Pokémon Centre?"

Harry was rather curious to what Flint was going to say. "Huh? Oh yeah. When do you think Volkner will wake up?"

Flint grinned, holding up his watch. "Oh... in about...5...4...3...2...1-"

A loud blast of music came from the farthest room of the house, followed by a thump and a crash before it suddenly went silent. The door slammed open revealing a rather angry Volkner, whom was standing in his boxers with a dark aura rolling off of, his eyes whipping around until they landed upon them.

"Flint." Volkner hissed darkly. "What the hell man! It's fucking noon! You know I sleep until one!"

"Heavy sleeper," Harry remarked.

Flint snickered. "You have no idea! Sorry Volkner, look on the bright side it was only an hour of sleep that you missed!"

"Go to hell Flint," The blonde growled coldly. "Urgh, I need some coffee."

"Yeah, yeah," Flint waved his hand removing himself from the chair. "I'll make some, go and sit down a bit."

Volkner's glare lessened. "Fine. Just don't tamper with it like last time."

"Aw c'mon Volkner you can trust me!" Flint grinned widely giving his friend thumbs up only for silence and the increased death glare to de-flat Flint's enthusiasm. "Ouch, Volkner. No trust at all!"

"It's called being smart," The gym leader stated taking a seat beside Harry.

"Yet you trust me to make the coffee," Flint pointed out.

Volkner smirked. "That's because if you tamper with it you know I'll kick your ass back to the League...or tell Bertha."

"Aw man!"

"Bertha?" Harry asked curiously, ignoring Flint as he began to make Coffee for the three of them.

"She's one of the Elite Four. Just as Flint is, unlike him she specializes in ground types." Volkner answered, in a lecture tone.

"Like how each gym leader, the Elites use different types in order to challenge the opponent right?" Harry asked curiously, rather interested in the information. Recalling what Volkner had told him from the previous day about gyms and the league.

"Right, our job though isn't to defeat the challenger. Only to test their capabilities and their Pokémon," The spiky blonde added.

"What if you faced a new trainer then?"

"Then I use all the Pokémon I have at my disposal." Volkner answered seriously. "Regardless of our ranks as Gym Leaders it is not our job to baby the trainer since they should strategize and come prepared when entering the gym. I won't show mercy to a trainer simply because they are new. They'll learn quickly that the road of a trainer is a harsh one."

Harry could understand that. "Do you get new trainers often to your gym?"

"...No. Sinnoh is aware that I am the strongest trainer, it's no secret. Many of them train before attempting to take me on, not that it matters anyway. I win in the end," Volkner remarked bitterly. He hadn't had a good battle in nearly three years only the endless streams of pathetic battles and weak-hearted trainers came to him. Due to that many trainers had started to hound him for rematches or interviews not giving him a moment's peace and quiet as they drove his nerves up the wall, in fact it had gotten so bad that he had been thinking about simply leaving badges near his gym in order to get some peace and quiet.

"You must have worked very hard to get where you are now. It shows when you're around your Pokémon." Harry commented truthfully.

Within an instant Volkner felt all of his burdens and stress suddenly leave him upon hearing those words, and staring deeply in the sincere green eyes. His body began to relax more smoothly and comfortably in the chair, straightening himself up.

"T...t-thanks..." His face began to burn, a genuine smile started to spread across his face. It felt odd hearing such an endearing compliment from someone he had just met could affect him so dearly. His heart began to dance again, thumping against his chest rapidly.

"I'm just stating the truth, Volkner. All of your Pokémon seem to care for you deeply," Harry continued, smiling. It was true too watching at how protective and cutely the Luxray and Raichu had both acted the other day, purring against him and playfully pouncing on the man.

Volkner swallowed thickly. "I...t-thanks," the burn on his face became greater glancing down sheepishly at the table.

"Here's your coffee!" Flint chirped happily placing a Raichu mug in front of Volkner and a normal looking mug in front of Harry, a third mug of his favorite Pokémon mug for himself. Glancing over he noticed the smile and blush that was on Volkner's face plus, just whom it was direct to. A sly grin appeared behind the mug as the hot liquid ran down his throat; it hadn't taken him very long to figure out that his best friend seemed to have fallen hard for Harry-not that he could blame him.

Harry was a very interesting kid, not acting all superior due to his age and didn't have an ounce of arrogance. The way he spoke to them was that of an adult instead of a child and his eyes spoke volumes of experience that Flint only wished he possessed. He also possessed a great deal of compassion from what he heard from Volkner, carrying the small injured Pokémon back to the Centre. There was also the great deal of mystery about Harry that he was interested in since he had never heard of a person that did not know about Pokémon. At first he had considered Harry having amnesia from the aftershock from whatever accident the kid had gotten in only to dismiss it after observing him.

Harry really didn't have an idea of what Pokémon were.

The sound of popping echoed in the area as the room filled with a glowing blue light, the table shook roughly as the light started to die down revealing a rather energetic rat; whom was currently trying to get his hands upon Volkner's mug. The blonde was obviously use to the situation managing to hold his cup in the air, gracefully dodging the theft from his Pokémon all while consuming it right in front of Raichu.

"R_aaaaa_i!" The electric type whined pitifully, his eyes turned huge and adorable gazing up at Volkner. "Chu?"

"Nice try," Volkner muttered, smirking as he finished the last drop of his coffee. "Maybe next time, Raichu."

"Eh, don't worry about it Raichu! I'll make you a cup!" Flint announced cheerfully ignoring the groan in the background as his grin widened at the starry eyed gaze his friend's partner was giving him.

"Flint." Volkner warned dangerously.

The redhead shot him a look. "I won't give him too much Volkner. Just enough to keep him happy, alright? Now go back to la-la land already. I hear they are missing their village idiot."

Volkner blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"N_eeeee_ver mind," Flint sang turning his back heading towards the counter.

Harry and Volkner exchanged a confused look before silently raising their eyebrows in unison at the redhead's back, not entirely certain if the man was sane or not. Some things were better left unanswered, as Flint had returned with coffee for Raichu.

"You need new clothes, Harry. You can't be wearing the same thing every day," Flint stated.

Volkner snorted. "That's a lie. Besides, we're men. Who cares?"

"I do for one thing," Flint shot back. "Its bad hygiene!"

"Yes mom," came Volkner's sarcastic reply.

"I'll put you over my lap if I have to you whippersnapper!" Flint mocked in an old man told, chuckling.

Volkner snorted, bemused. "I'd like to see you try grandpa!"

"Bring it on sonny-boy!"

Harry stifled a laugh, his eyes dancing with mirth watching the two. It was something he wouldn't ever get tired of watching, glancing towards the strange cat like clock hanging on the wall, he frowned. "Shouldn't we head off to the Pokémon Centre?

"Hm," Volkner grunted out kicking upwards his hands deep into his pockets. "Let's go."

Flint shook his head amused. "Right behind ya, Volkie!"

"...Stop calling me that," Volkner murmured under his breath annoyed at his friend's antics. "Don't shorten my name because it makes your life easier."

"I don't do it because of that, I do it because it rails you up!" Flint informed cheerfully.

"...Have I ever told you how much I hate you when you're on a caffeine rush?"

"Dozens of times!"

Looking amused Harry tailed behind the two rather glad that they were finally heading towards the Pokémon Centre. While he had been able to get a good night sleep he was still rather worried about that Pokémon they had rescued the day before, he hadn't like the idea of leaving him there feeling as if they had abandoned him there. Even though he trusted Volkner who trusted Nurse Joy, Harry couldn't help what he was feeling.

It brought back many memories of his childhood with the Dursleys, waiting for someone...anyone to take notice of the abuse he had been forced to endure only to wait in vain. No one stopped to give him a second glance, eating the words out of his Uncle Vernon's and Aunt Petunia's hands. It disgusted him so.

The one thing he learned from both the Dursleys and the Wizarding World, people were sheep. They believed whatever they were told or how much money that they were given in order to believe, such as the Triwizard Tournament at how everyone including Mrs. Weasley had treated Hermione after the Skeeter article, or during second year how no one would instantly avoid him or the whispers filled maliciously rumours that he heard from the other students. Not that he cared. In fact he had stopped caring by the middle of fourth year; the wizarding world was filled with false hope and the herds of the mindless.

Logic and common sense did not belong.

That was most likely why Hermione and he had decided to continue their muggle education behind everyone else's backs. Neither of them truly had the motivation or will to remain in the Wizarding World after graduation and the fall of Voldemort, there was hardly a place for muggleborns and half-bloods in magical Britain. Sure, his name could get him a decent job or a cell in Azkaban depending on whom was the Minister, their safest bet was to hide in the muggle world. Getting a job in the magical district in the rest of the world was out of the question since the European wizards were viewed as utter laughing stocks from what he had discovered from Sirius and Hermione.

Sirius...well-

"Welcome back!" Nurse Joy greeted cheerfully, hidden behind two men.

One of them turned around. Blue eyes met green.

"Harry?

"Sirius!"

The two stared at each other shocked by the other's appearance both of them physical numb, unable to move. Then in unison, snapping out of it they rushed towards the another and hugged tightly.

"S-Sirius!" Harry buried his face deep into his godfather's chest, shaking and fighting to preventing the tears from falling.

Sirius held him tightly. "Thank Merlin you're alright Harry," pulling away from the hug. "But how did you...?"

Harry looked up, in silence slowly smiling. "W...well...I did something stupid and unbelievably reckless?"

"I can't wait to hear it," Sirius's tongue clicked the top of his tongue looking one to please, only his eyes gave away the bemusement and relief.

"Sirius?" Beside Sirius was a man with black hair donning a dark red jacket and dark blue pants, he have a very calm presence as he observed the scene wearing a smile. "Think you can introduce us?" The man teased, his eyes held mirth.

Sirius scratched the back of his head. "Sorry Norman! Harry this is Norman, the guy whom found me. Norman this is Harry, my godson."

"Nice to meet you!" Norman grinned, holding out his hand as Harry shook it.

"Nice to meet you as well!"..._Holy crap is he strong! _Harry thought practically feeling his hand's being crushed the longer they shook. He could tell that Norman hadn't meant to do that in fact he was rather convinced that the man was possibly unaware of his strength.

"Hey don't leave us hanging!" Flint hollered from behind waving his hands in the air.

Harry blushed. "Right! Sirius, this is Volkner and Flint." He left out the detail of nearly drowning not wanting his godfather to worry and going all protective over him.

Sirius walked over to them, shaking their hands quickly. "Thank you, both of you so much. You don't know how much Harry means to me."

"Ummm...you're welcome?" Volkner blinked bewildered at the attitude that man was displaying, deciding to accept it. He nodded briskly, shaking firmly back. "It wasn't a problem, Sirius."

Flint grinned. "Hey, no welcome's needed! You guys would have done the same thing, right?"

"C_hat_ot!" A multi-coloured bird squawked loudly swooping around the Pokémon Centre before settling on Sirius's shoulder, its head lunged forward blinking and twisted its head around while staring at Harry. After several moments of silence, the bird nodded. "Chatot!"

Sirius sighed heavily. "Alright, alright already! Yesch! Harry meet the dumb bird, dumb bird meet Harry."

"...There's a story behind this, isn't there?" Harry stated flatly.

"Like you wouldn't believe, Harry!"

Harry grinned cheekily. "At least it didn't happen to me this time!"

"Harry?" Nurse Joy stood beside Sirius, smiling. "He's ready to see you now. But you should be careful, he's rather timid and suffered a great deal," looking sorrowful. "If my estimate is correct I think it would b e safe to say that he has been mistreated by either a trainer or Pokémon snatchers!"

"That's despicable," Volkner snarled darkly.

Flint growled. "Humans shouldn't treat Pokémon as if they are tools! It isn't right! Damn it really burns me up inside!" He punched his fist straight into his hand.

"Don't worry, we'll deal with it." Harry said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Can you please take us to the room where he is?"

The pink haired nurse nodded, gesturing to the hallway. "Please, right this way."

"Harry?" Sirius looked confused and sounded worried.

Harry shot him a look. "Later Sirius, right now we need to go and check on someone."

Briskly heading down the hall with Flint and Volkner, they followed closely behind Nurse Joy until they reached a door. On the wall was a window allowing them to see through straight into the room, it was a small room with a window within it, open allowing air circulation and a few tables that had a vase filled with flowers along with a bed. They were able to see the blue scales and the greyish skin from their side of the window, watching as the Pokémon lay soundlessly asleep looking in far greater condition than it had been when Volkner and Harry had found it.

"He looks healthy enough," Volkner murmured, glancing at Joy. "Will he be released back into the wild?"

Nurse Joy looked thoughtful. "I don't know, the poor guy looked so frightened and scared," gripping the edge of her clipboard and biting her lip in frustration. "From what I was able to find from the tests he is a wild Pokémon, most likely captured by barbaric methods in order to sell for profit. Or worse!"

Harry's stomach twisted. "That's...disgusting!"

"Yes." Nurse Joy agreed. "It is, but I can't keep him here. Not if he doesn't want to stay."

"It has to be his choice," Flint sounded grim. "Forcing him to do something will only further his distrust in humans."

Harry went over and opened the door, heading straight inside the room. Feeling the cool air from outside brush up against his chest Harry went over to the spare chair and sat in it, watching as the small creature continued to sleep peacefully unaware of the world. Almost like a new born, it was rather cute really.

"Harry." Volkner's voice came from the door as the blonde man strode over, his hand placed upon Harry's shoulder gripping it.

Harry's lips twitched nodded shortly.

"Argh...ba..." The sounds of stirring from the bed watching as the small Pokémon began to toss and turn in the bed, attempting to block out the sounds and lights in order to remain asleep. Slowly, very slowly a pair of red eyes revealed themselves to the world. "B...Bag...on," blinking tiredly fixing its position upwards looking around the room confused. "Bagon?"

"Nice to see that you're awake," Harry said softly, carefully watching the Pokémon's reaction as it pressed it's self against the wall in fright. Not even surprised by the reaction, he held out his hand. "No one here is going to harm you Bagon, you're safe here. Alright? My name is Harry," his hand still held steadily in the air. "Do you remember the night we found you?"

The blue Pokémon went deep into thought remembering of the events from the previous day, tilting it's head. "Bagon...Bag..." Slowly nodding, confirming that it remembered. His body was rigid and guarded, hesitating to trust them.

"We're not going to force you to do anything," Harry stated calmly his hand still held out. "We're friends, I promise."

Bagon remained seated staring at the two with an unreadable expression for several moments before removing himself from the bed, cautiously going over to Harry's hand keeping his eyes trained up him and Volkner. Leaning forward, he began to sniff Harry's hand. First it had been at the tip of the fingers before moving towards the rest of the hand, taking in Harry's smell in large dose until the Pokémon began to lick Harry's fingers and dived into the boy's hand purring loudly at the feel of the hand. Rubbing up against the hand, Harry chuckled while Volkner rolled his eyes with bemusement.

"Well that was easy," The blonde man murmured to himself.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him before focusing back on Bagon. "Do you to come with us outside?"

"Bagon!" The Pokémon dove straight into Harry's arms, snuggling up against his chest smiling cheerfully at him.

"Looks like Bagon joined the party!" Flint announced grinning, receiving weird looks from everyone. The fiery trainer pouted thinly. "What?"

"Nothing Flint," Volkner shook his head. Seeing the pink haired woman standing there, he frowned. "Umm...Nurse Joy-"

"It's fine." She smiled. "Don't worry about it Volkner, though you should probably have Harry go and register."

Volkner curled his lips. "Yeah...I'll go and do that."

"Register?" Harry asked curiously, holding the small blue Pokémon.

"As a trainer," Flint answered before Volkner. "You know, since you have Bagon-"

"Bagon isn't my Pokémon. He is an individual that should chose whether or not he wants to stay or go. Isn't that what you said earlier, Flint?" Harry asked coldly glaring at the redhead, whom shivered fearfully from it. Standing up abruptly, increasing the level of intimidation. "Well?" His voice cold and hard as steel, his eyes flashed angrily.

Flint hid behind Volkner. "H-hey I-I didn't mean it like that!"

"He has a point Flint," Volkner relented seriously.

"Harry?" Sirius and Norman stood by the door, watching them with curiosity walking into the room, Sirius looked at the frightful redhead silently raising an eyebrow at his godson. "What happened?"

"Flint suggested that I register as a trainer with Bagon as my Pokémon," Harry growled out keeping his glare at Flint.

Sirius pressed his lips, glancing over at Flint. "Well... do you want to be a trainer?"

"...I..." Harry bit his lip struggling to come up with an answer. Did he want to be a trainer? He wasn't sure. The very idea of capturing a creature and keeping them in a small ball wasn't his typical idea of fun, but the idea of being able to travel and see the world had captured his interest. He held Bagon tighter looking down at the floor. "I don't know..."

"How about we get out of here?" Norman suggested obviously feeling the tense atmosphere. "I'm sure all of us could use some fresh air."

* * *

><p>"Slaking use Strength!"<p>

"Infernape counter with Close combat!"

The two powerhouse Pokémon clashed against the other, pushing against each other in order to overcome the other. The disburse of dust spread faintly across the field unnoticed by neither the trainers nor the Pokémon noticed as Infernape sharply turned, grappling on Slaking's arm and threw him over his shoulder.

"That's it Infernape!" Flint cried punching up his arm.

Harry smiled faintly watching as Flint and Norman battled it out with their two precious Pokémon, he looked over and watched as Bagon went up to the flowers and began sniffing them, happily letting out a cry as he began to pick the flowers.

"So..." Sirius began calmly watching the battle. "Old snake face is dead?"

Harry nodded stiffly. "Yeah, when I passed through the veil he was pulled in as well before he was chained and ripped to shreds. But...when it happened, some strange things appeared. Items-"

"He must have used Horcruxes," Sirius cut off, looking grim. "Only vile humans use horcruxes in order to achieve immortality by splitting your soul, the only prices is that it must be done in cold blood murder. It makes a lot of sense now that I think about it," the older male mused silently. "Oh well, what's done is done."

"So what do we do now?" Harry asked pulling his legs closer to him, watching as the battle between Infernape and Slaking continued. "Should we try and find a way back home or do we stay here?"

Sirius contemplated the situation. "Well...what do you want to do?"

"I don't want to leave," Harry responded instantly. "I like it here...for the first time in my life I feel like I'm in control of it and I don't have a psycho killer out to kill me or the people that I care about. I don't have to go back to the Dursleys either and...you're here, as a free man. You don't have hide from the law and anymore, and you look far better and healthier than you have been."

It was true Sirius no longer looked like a skeleton or that he had been malnourished due to his time in Azkaban. The color had entered and he felt far more energetic than he had been since leaving Azkaban, his body had returned to the way it had been before his imprisonment while still looking dashingly handsome and mature. Sirius didn't know what exactly had happened when he passed through the evil, nonetheless he was grateful for whatever divine interference had happened.

"Then let's stay." Sirius said calmly smiling at the bewildered expression his godson was wearing. "What?"

"What about everyone else?" Harry asked slowly.

Sirius resisted the urge to snort. "What about everyone else?I know you don't want to go back, you've already told me yourself! And it's clear that you weren't happy back home, hell I wasn't happy! So I say we should stay here!"

"...Do you think I should be a trainer?" Harry questioned abruptly.

"Is this because of what Flint said?" Seeing the anxiousness gleam in Harry's eyes, Sirius continued. "Well...I think it might be a good experience for the both of us. I've talked to Norman for a bit about it and I'm considering doing it. But I don't want my decision to influence yours-"

"It's...not that... It's just," Harry cut him off, looking a tad bit uncomfortable. "Volkner explained Pokeballs to me, they aren't entirely as bad as I originally though they were but..."

"You're not comfortable with it completely, right?" Harry nodded. "Why don't you give it a shot before making a decision?"

Harry blinked. "A shot?"

"Obviously Bagon here wants to go with you, right Bagon?" Sirius hollered over to the Pokémon.

The small blue reptile, upon hearing his name began to run over carrying several flowers against his chest, holding them up towards Harry as he arrived. "Bag!"

"For me?" Harry smiled gently as received the flowers. "Thank you, they're beautiful."

Bagon slammed against his chest. "Bag! Bag-ON!"

"See?" Sirius stated cheekily.

"You're both working against me, I swear." Harry remarked dryly, rolling his eyes in a sarcastic manner. The sounds of the footsteps echoed watching as the three made their way over. "Good battle?"

Flint grinned. "I totally dominated!"

"It was rather good battle, it's not every day when you're able to fight against an elite." Norman commented truthfully, sitting beside Sirius. "Did you enjoy the match?" Asking the other man curiously, knowing it was most likely the first Sirius had seen.

"It was different," Sirius admitted. "Too bad you didn't win though, Norman."

Norman shook his head. "Winning or losing doesn't bother me. It's what you learn from the battle that is the most important to me, it helped me realized that I still need to train in order to help Slaking get stronger. Once I do, I hope you will take me on again, Flint."

"Definitely!"

Volkner dropped beside Harry, sending Norman a dark glance. "Don't praise him too much, it will go straight to his head."

"Hey!"

"Anyway," Volkner ignored the cries of his friend. "What were you two talking about?"

Sirius quickly responded before Harry got a chance to say anything. "He's thinking about becoming a trainer, but he's still uncomfortable about Pokeballs."

"Is that it?" Volkner sounded amused, raising an eyebrow slyly at Harry. "You should have said something I have a spare one with me," Unclipping it from his belt, holding it between his fingers moving to place it into Harry's hand as a blur quickly grabbed it. "Huh!"

"Bagon!" The reptile Pokémon held the Pokeball over its head. "Bag! Bagon!" The two red eyes connected with Harry's green, as Bagon pointed the Pokeball towards him. "Bagon! Bag!"

"You..." Harry began slowly realizing what Bagon was trying to tell him. "I..."

"I told you!" Sirius said in a sing-song tone.

Harry didn't bother to roll his eyes at the statement reaching out to take the Pokeball from the excited and anxious Pokémon, looking happily at him. Finding himself defeated by the hopeful eyes of Bagon, Harry knew that he couldn't just leave the little guy all alone anyway. Besides, it would be nice to have someone to talk to other then Sirius for a change. Inching closer to the Pokeball, they began to brush against it as another blur shot up between them, taking the Pokeball with it.

"Again!" Flint remarked his head whipping around trying to locate the thief.

Norman quickly stood up, pointing towards the direction. "Over there!"

The perpetrator was a grey furred cat with large pointed ears and yellow eyes, within its teeth was the Pokeball carrying it with easy. Oddly enough, the cat's tail was curled upwards; Harry had to keep telling himself that there were probably plenty of strange looking Pokémon in the world that he had yet to see. Sensing the hostility from them, the cat dashed off at an amazing speed leaving them there.

"What was that?" Sirius asked confused.

"That was a Glameow, a normal type Pokémon." Flint answered, smirking at Norman. "The type you specialize in!"

Norman stroked his chin. "A normal type, huh?" Musing out loud, looking rather thoughtful.

"You can muse later!" Harry stated rushing forward, straight after the Pokémon with Bagon in his arms. "Now hurry up! We have a cat to chase!"

Increasing his speed Harry continued to pursue after the feline Pokémon carrying Bagon with him in order to retrieve Volkner's Pokeball. He didn't quite understand why Glameow or whatever it was called, decided to steal the Pokeball, or why it needed it in the first place initially thinking that the feline could be in some type of trouble had occurred to him only to brush it off later. It didn't look injured to him and seemed to be acting upon its own.

It didn't add up at least to Harry. Could it be stealing for someone else or was it stealing on the bases simply because it was able to?

"Bagon can you sniff out Glameow?" Harry asked his the Pokémon, smiling as the blue Pokémon nodded rapidly before it began to sniff loudly and pointed out the direction. The sounds of the ruffling bushes could be heard not to from where their location. "Ready?"

Bagon nodded. "Bagon!"

"Alright then," narrowing his eyes darkly he once again charged towards the direction of where Bagon pointed him to, thankfully it was also where the sounds of the rustling bushes came from as well and if Harry had to bet anything it was most likely where Glameow had went. The closer he got towards the sounds a strange sensation tickled his nose, the scent of water. His pace slowly began to falter with each step he took until mist entered his sights. At first he was going to dismiss it but he saw the curled tail dart towards the source of the mist.

The Glameow was curled up right by the lake, playing with the Pokeball.

Harry grabbed the cat, holding Bagon with one arm against his chest turning Glameow to face him. "So this is what you wanted the Pokeball for, you were bored."

"Glame_oooo_w!" The cat purred the answer, dropping the ball to the ground.

Harry sighed, smiling despite the situation. "Next time just ask, alright? You don't want to accidentally get caught, right?"

"Glam!"

"...Right then," Harry stated flatly. "Good, c'mon let's go and-"

A bright light emerged from the lake forcing Harry back a few steps, being taken off guard by the sudden appearance of the light. The power that came from the lake could be felt even from the distance that Harry was standing at, watching in awe as a silhouette of a strange Pokémon with three tails floated above the lake before fading away.

"What type of Pokémon was that?"

* * *

><p>Chapter four-end.<p>

Man, this chapter was being rather difficult to write! I apologize for such a long wait, but it's done now. I have to admit that I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter, but hopefully the next chapter will be better. Anyway, once again I would like to thank everyone who reviewed along with my beta articuno18 for betaing. Without you guys, this fic wouldn't be possible.

Please make sure to leave constructive criticism in your review, until next time!


	5. Departing

Chapter 5: Departing

"Your Pokémon are all healed!"

Flint and Norman received the tray that held their Pokéballs from the desk, thanking Nurse Joy before returning to the others, who were lounging on the couch. Norman placed himself beside Sirius, bemused as the darker haired man's antics, as he stroked the feline's fur. In response, Glameow's tail began to wag back and forth between Sirius' lap and his own. Obviously, the normal type had taken a liking to them since it didn't seem eager or willing to leave similarly to Chatot. The flying type was perched at the end of the couch staring aimlessly around the room, oblivious or interested in it's surroundings. None of them were certain.

Harry was sitting over by the other side with Volkner, with Bagon resting next to his legs beaming up at them happily before proceeding to snuggle up against Harry's leg using it as if it was a pillow. Harry placed his hand upon the dragon type's head and began to pat it, smiling gently at the small blue Pokémon and Volkner gazing softly at the two, enjoying the interaction.

Flint chuckled. Volkner wasn't even being subtle about it anymore; he realized just how carefully the blonde had draped his arm behind the couch just slightly above the kid's shoulders. _'I always knew he'd be the type to fall in love at first sight!' _

Underneath the cold and stoic mask that the blonde wore to the public, Flint knew that deep down below the layers of ice was a warm and gentle man. Not that he could blame his friend for being harsh and blunt at the mindless crowds and paparazzi; especially due to the relentless hounding and stalking that they did in order to get closer to Volkner, in hopes of either climbing the social status ladder or to smear his name for the sake of selling a few magazines. It was tiresome and annoying.

Not that Volkner cared; in fact he turned into a game in order to humiliate them out of sheer spite. Now, his friend was not a cruel person by nature, in actuality he preferred resolving issues in civilly. However, when they had switched their tactics to the people that Volkner cared deeply before had been the moment when he stopped playing nice. No matter what someone said about Volkner's physical appearance other than that he was a heart throb and skinny as hell, the blonde packed one hell of a punch and could be more intimidating than a Garchomp on a good day.

Shivering as he recalled an incident around a year ago when a reporter tried to trick one of Volkner's younger students into coming with him for an interview. The very moment Volkner found that out, well, needless to say that man never stepped anyway near Sunyshore again.

Overall, Volkner was a very good judge of character. With the exception of his depressive moods, those didn't and would never count as far as Flint was concerned. But, his friend always seemed to have a knack when it came to reading people. Not that Volkner was perfect; there had been times when he had been wrong. Flint wondered if the reason he was so good at reading people had been due to his travels, his time as a gym leader or due to his upbringing.

Flint suppressed a shudder. All in all, if it hadn't been for his friend's mother he wouldn't be so sure that Volkner would have turned out the way he had. Hell, Flint was surprised at how well adjusted Volkner was. However, there were still moments when it was painfully obvious that his friend struggled with connecting with people. Over the years that seemed to lessen allowing his friend to grow on his own, and while he kept that loner aura he had gotten better. Especially now.

The way his friend interacted with Harry seemed and felt almost something like out of a romance novel, just the way it felt and looked. In most circumstances it was usually the other paying attention to Volkner with the man ignoring or dismissing the other completely, but now, it was obvious that his friend was smitten by Harry. The gaze and smile gave it away. Flint knew the signs of love when he saw it, Volkner was definitely falling for Harry. And HARD. He briefly wondered if his friend was aware of it, his friend wasn't exactly a sociable person but then again, Volkner was known to surprise people now and then.

"So Harry and Sirius are going to register, right?" Flint asked, flopping down into the chair.

"That's the plan," Sirius answered still stroking Glameow's back, smirked as the feline let out another pleasant purr. "It shouldn't take too long, right?"

Norman chuckled. "Nurse Joy will just take your personal information and send it to the League, that information is then sent to the region's professor for record keeping."

"Which means you guys will have to go to Sandgem Town. It's west from here," Flint informed the two. "You could take a boat, but that would take w_aaa_y to long. So, I suggest taking the trainer or going by air. They would be the fastest means of transportation."

Volkner felt a strange lump form at the bottom of his stomach, he had nearly forgotten that Harry and Sirius had decided to become trainers. Which meant they were planning on leaving Sunyshore to start their journey; he knew that it was bound to happen eventually, the chance to explore and see the world was everyone's dream. However, that didn't mean that he had to like it. Volkner realized it was selfish of him, but he was unable to help what he felt.

If Harry wanted to travel then it was his choice. Volkner had absolutely no right to dictate what or where he went.

That didn't mean he felt any less frustrated.

Unable to take anymore talk of traveling he quickly excused himself for to the bathroom, just to get away and allow himself room to think. Making a dash for the men's room, he quickly spotted and leaned against the sink with his back. Burying his face into his hands, he took a deep breath before slowly releasing it.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Volkner murmured quietly, confused by his actions. The sounds of the door rang loudly in his head. Massaging his temple. "I was wondering when you were going to follow."

"Hm, well I figured that you were going to need my help. So I came sooner rather than later!" Flint answered smiling broadly.

Volkner sent his friend a poisonous look. "Great, just what I need. Help from Flint."

"No need to get snappish," The fiery elite replied. His smile and happy tone faded, not thrilled by his friend's attitude.

"I'm sorry," Volkner apologized, tiredly.

Neither of them said anything allowing the silence in the room to grow as the tension began to wither away. Strolling over to the bathroom door, Flint used his leg as an achor to hold himself up while pushing against the door eyeing his friend with an unreadable expression and stayed quiet doing so.

After another few moments of silence, Flint rolled his eyes and waved his hand. "You've fallen," he remarked.

Volkner blinked owlishly. "...Yeah," Nodding lowly. "I have."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Volkner snapped at him.

Flint pushed off of the door and glared. "How about you stop whining about it and actually do something!"

"Like what for example?" The blonde growled frustrated, glaring fiercely at Flint. His arm slashed horizontally. "It's not that simple!"

"I know that," Flint shot back getting angry. "But there's no need to take out on me!"

"I'm not taking it out on you!" Volkner retorted, his voice getting louder.

Flint snorted. "The hell you are!"

"Fuck you, Flint!"

"No thanks," The redhead shot back, smirked. "That's what Harry's for right?"

Volkner's eyes widened a fraction, only to narrow again and clutched his hands into fists. "You son of a bitch!" He lunged towards Flint quickly; his hand gripped the yellow collar pulling the other man towards him and glare. His fist pulled backwards as he prepared to punch him-

"See?" Flint stated, nodding. "You have it bad."

"Damn it..." The grip began to loosen, dropping Flint back onto the ground. "Fucking damn it."

"That was quick," The redhead said, trying to lighten the mood.

Volkner slammed his fists against the sides, back arched upwards and head bent down. "Damn it... what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Well for one do you think you can move to the side so I have some arm room?" Flint asked, watching his friend flush. He placed both of his hands upon Volkner's shoulders, gripping them tightly. "Well if you want my advice man, I think you need to sort out your feelings first before you do anything. Going up and confessing to him, don't want to scare him off right?" his friend nodded. "Though..." Flint trailed off as he began to think.

Volkner eyed him. "Though... what?"

"Harry's going traveling right?" Flint ignored the dark glare. "Why don't you go with him."

"W...What?"

"Go with him." Flint repeated, there was no nonsense in his voice.

Volkner blinked slowly. "You're serious."

"You've been cooped up in your tower for Arceus' knows long, working on the solar panels and re-wiring the electricity," Flint began calmly. "You were like a zombie, going back and forth without any human interaction; caring only about being left alone and doing work," he gave his friend a hardened look before gesturing to the door. "And then Harry came along. Ever since he came you've been happier than I have ever seen you be. He's good for you."

"Flint..." Volkner's voice trailed off, taken aback by his friend's words. He sighed afterwards placing a hand over his face. "I don't even know if he's even gay or likes men."

Flint rolled his eyes. "That's why you're going with him, and besides even if you two don't end up together. At least you'll be getting out of Sunyshore."

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"I'm glad that you know me so well!" Flint chirped happily, smirking at his friend.

Volkner snorted. "Like you let me have a choice," his lips twitched into a smile. "Thanks Flint."

"Hey, no thanks necessary Volkner. Besides," The redhead said, shrugging his shoulders energetically. "It's pretty much my job description!"

"Gee, Flint. I feel so much better about myself," Volkner snarked back.

He only received a cheerful. "No problem!"

Volkner rolled his eyes leaving with bathroom with Flint tagging behind him, still grinning like the moron he was. He was thankful that his friend had managed to talk him into doing something rather than sitting on his ass and do nothing. He'd pay him back somehow.

Returning back to the lounging room of the Pokémon Centre, Harry and Sirius were up at the desk chatting with Nurse Joy. The woman was typing rapidly on the keyboard and kept her eyes upon the two, recording the information down for their registration as trainers. Every so often Chansey and Nurse Joy switched places, gathering paper work and filing it away as she grabbed two Pokéballs from the back and placed them onto the countertop, along with two cards.

"These are your trainer cards," Nurse Joy explained. "They'll act as your identification until you get Pokedexs from Professor Rowan in Sandgem Town. I've already sent him the information, so you should make your way over there whenever you have a chance." She smiled gently and placed two pens on the table. "Make sure to sign on the bottom of the card," pointing towards it.

"What does that Trainer Card do besides act as our temporary identification?" Harry asked with a frown. "It seems rather redunant."

"Trainer Cards also act as a debit and credit card, along with of keeping a track of your ranking," Volkner answered joining the two, pulling out his own trainer card. "See here?" He pointed towards the black background at the top of the card, with five golden starts aligned. "The stars represent your accomplishments and ranking, corresponding with the background. However, there is one difference between a normal backgrounds and specialized ones, see the small insignia?"

It was a small pokéball design with spikes at the end of it.

"Yeah," Harry nodded with a frown. "I'm guessing it shows that you're a gym leader?"

Flint grinned. "Correct! Gym leaders have the pokéball design while Elites have the flag design and the Champion has a platinum design with the entire League logo on it."

"So what happens to the trainer card then?" Sirius frowned, as he placed the card into his pocket. "As Harry said, it feels rather redundant if they're going to be replaced by the Pokedex."

"You insert the card into the Pokedex," Norman answered from the couch, petting Glameow. "It acts as an app for it. Much like the Poketch from Jubilife," nodding towards Nurse Joy, whom blushed at revealing her pink Poketch that was strapped on her wrist.

_'Sounds like a cell phone,'_Harry thought to himself. "And the Pokéballs are for us?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "I encoded your trainer data into the Pokéballs, if you look on your card; you'll see a designated number. That is your trainer code."

"Thanks Nurse Joy," Sirius said gratefully, grabbing his Pokéball.

"Not at all!" The pink haired woman replied, brightly. "Please make sure to stop by again!"

Harry gave her a tiny wave, grabbing his Pokéball in the process and waited for Bagon to rush upwards him looking up with a gigantic smile. Despite himself, he was rather bemused at the tiny dragon's actions and bent down to his level holding up the ball.

"Are you sure that this is what you want, Bagon?" Harry asked seriously. "You can turn back now, if you want."

"Bag! Bagon!" The blue dragon jumped up and down happily, eyes shining brightly and eagerly.

Harry's lips twitched into a small smile, tapping the ball onto Bagon's head only to watch in amazement as the ball opened on it's own while the small Pokémon turned into a red light and being absorbed into the ball as it closed. The light on the ball blinked rapidly, making sounds while it shook in his hand roughly, then stopped followed by a long ping at the end.

"Congrats!" Flint cheered. "You caught Bagon!"

Harry stood up and stared at the ball. "That's... anti-climatic."

"Eh, what can you do?" The fiery elite remarked shrugging his shoulders.

Harry snorted shaking his head. "So how do I open this thing?"

"Press the center button," Volkner said holding up his own, his thumb barely touching it. "And throw it into the air."

"...Alright then," Harry replied, bewildered as he pressed the white button. "Bagon!" As he threw the Pokéball into the air, the room was filled with a white light similarly to how Volkner did it before revealing Bagon. He chuckled as Bagon's head whipped around looking for him. "Bagon, over here!"

The dragon turned around, beaming up at him. "Bagon!"

"Since we're done with that," Flint declared as Sirius held the Pokéball that now held chatot with much triumph. "I believe it's shopping time!"

Volkner groaned.

"...Y-you're not kidding are you?" Sirius asked hesitantly at the man, backing away ever-so slowly.

Norman frowned. "We do need supplies, and it would be best to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and, you need new clothes."

"Oh yeah..."

Volkner pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let's just hurry up and get it done."

If there was one thing that Volkner hated it was shopping. The mere word made his eye's twitch, there was nothing more unmanly on the face of the earth. Unless it was for books or video games, he would usually downright refuse to go. But...Volkner bit his lips, glancing at Harry. If it was for him, then he would endure.

Damn it. Flint was right, he did have it bad.

"I'm excited, I've never travelled before." Harry brought up drawing attention from the others, however, his body language told a different story. "But, what happens if Bagon gets sick or too injured? Sirius and I wouldn't know what to do."

Sirius frowned. "Harry has a point, we don't know much about... Pokémon."

"I'm coming along," Volkner stated abruptly stepping forward. "You guys are still learning about Pokémon, so as an experienced trainer I should accompany you."

"Are you sure, Volkner?" Harry asked the man, worried. "What about your gym?"

Volkner waved his hand dismissively. "I haven't taken a challenger in months. Cynthia wouldn't mind and Flint will probably take care of it, right?"

"Yep! Leave to the Flint man!" The redhead pounded his chest proudly.

Sirius smirked. "Then that means Norman's coming along," Nodding over to the dark haired man. "Right?"

"Huh?" Norman blinked.

"You're coming along with us, right?" Sirius repeated, grinning widely at the bewildered expression.

Norman swallowed staring at Sirius, his heart bounded against his chest quickly and hard, slamming against it like a man on fire. Ever since meeting Sirius it seems like everything around him began to make unexpected twists and turns, upon setting out to Sinnoh he would have never believed that any of this was possible and that he would have returned home upon getting what he needed. But now... now he was being offered something, something far beyond what he anticipated.

Another chance. Another journey.

He had only ever dreamed to go on another journey again, but it seemed pointless because of Caroline and his duties as a Gym Leader kept him far too busy to simply get up and leave. However, Kenny had been trained under his tutelage and was a long time student of his.

Maybe... just maybe, he could live his dream.

May was already living her dream travelling in Johto competing in Contests and Max had finally started his journey around Hoeen with his starter, and Caroline... she wouldn't be alone. That was for certain. And he was due for a vacation anyway, and with Kenny temporarily running his gym he was sure everything would be fine. However, he realized that in order for that to happen he would have to send over his Pokémon that were registered at his gym.

Meaning he would have to bring only one with him.

Norman glanced at his Pokéballs, and Glameow that was snuggling up against him.

"Yeah," He agreed looking at Sirius. "I'll come."

* * *

><p>The local shopping district in Sunyshore seemed oddly small compared to Diagon Alley and the many stores that he was forced to go to due to his relatives being unable to be bothered to do it themselves, far too busy watching the telly, rather than grabbing the necessities. The stores stretched far several blocks down and wrapped around the various corner of the street, the crowds and people continued on for miles bustling around energetically. How people were able to be so happy was a complete mystery to him, either way it definitely was a change from the norm. Most people Harry had seen shopping were usually unhappy and frustrated with prices, attempting to make bargains.<p>

Upon entering the store many of the items that Harry had managed to glance and skimmed over briefly, catered to Pokémon instead of humans. He wasn't surprised by it, the sign had said 'Pokéshop' at the top outside.

He was pleased to see that many customers had their Pokémon out and about, walking beside and treating them as partners and friends; like he did with Bagon and Hedwig. Painfully, Harry swallowed silently at the thought of his beloved friend, his very first friend along with Hagrid. He regretted and hated the fact he was unable to do anything for her both of them trapped in completely different worlds, unable to contact each other. Hopefully, his friends would take good care of her.

And if he guessed correctly, Hedwig probably was being taken care of by Hermione. Which meant his bushy haired friend was most likely trying to discover away to find and bring him and Sirius back.

Which lead to another thought, neither Sirius nor himself had made any attempt at all to use magic, and as far as he was aware Sirius had his wand on him. Of course Harry's wand was hidden in plain sight, tucked neatly in his pocket. With Voldemort's death plaguing his mind, it felt odd to continue carrying around his wand especially in this new world, even so he couldn't find it in him to depart from it.. Oddly enough, Harry didn't seem overly concerned with it or without the use of magic. Growing up the muggle way, the idea of losing his magic wasn't a terrible thing, he had lived without for eleven years and could life without it for the rest of his life if need be.

Magic wasn't everything.

It gave him a sense of freedom from the Wizarding world that he never would have felt the way he did, if not for the death of Riddle. Plus, Sirius no longer had to force himself into his animagus form for longer periods of time as he was not a convict in the new world and could walk around freely without reprisal.

They were free. Both of them were free. No words were able to describe how wonderful to feel and realize it, they could finally go and live the lives that they always wanted to but never could.

Did he miss his friend back home? Absolutely. Did he miss the pressure, the expectations, and the constant sheep like behaviour? No, he didn't.

How they jumped from idol to outcast to hero to villain at every given moment whenever pieces of news and events happened, all of them jumped on the most inane and stereotypical conclusions. None of them stopped to think and consider the possibilities of the information that they had been given or that was in front of them, Harry could admit that his hatred of Malfoy and Snape happened to cloud his judgement and rationality. It wasn't an excuse, but he wasn't perfect. No one was.

That being said, Harry was glad that he ended up some place where no one knew who he was. Even if it was a different world, he could start from scratch without a hitch. The only problem was that he was unsure of what exactly that he wanted to do. Back home, Harry had only thought about becoming an Auror because people expected that of him. But now, he had an actual choice. Traveling with Sirius and seeing the world were the main reason as to why he decided to become a trainer, doing so would allow him to think about his future and where he wanted to from there.

At first he had been worried about Sirius and himself going on own their own, it would be a good experience for them and bond as a family. However, they didn't know a great deal about the world which could lead or cause a whole lot of trouble that Harry didn't want to even think about.

When Volkner had announced that he was going to join them on their travels, Harry felt oddly pleased with that and was glad to have a friend along for the ride. However, he could not deny that there was something about the man that Harry liked beyond mere friendship. It was a level of understanding between them that no one other than each other was able to get. But that wasn't all, Harry enjoyed being around Volkner, even if they simply sitting beside each other and doing nothing he still liked it.

More so than what he felt around Cho Chang, it couldn't even compare to the feeling that coursed through his body when he was with Volkner. It was right and warm, there was no other words to describe it. Nevertheless, Harry doubted that Volkner held any interest in the same sex.

Not that he cared in the slightest. Harry was far use to being alone and as long as they could be friends, that's all that truly mattered.

"Why are there so many different Pokéballs," Sirius picked up the strange Pokéball coated with bright blue at the top and two red nodes at top sides. "I mean, isn't one already enough? Why bother making more?"

Flint grinned, rubbing his hands together. "That, Sirius, is an excellent question! Other than to keep up with economy, certain Pokéballs have characteristics and attributes just like most Pokémon do. In fact, the Pokéball in your hand is called a Great Ball having a catching rate of 1.5x which is greater than that of a normal Pokémon and the Ultra Ball," gesturing towards the black and yellow Pokéball. "Has 2x the catching rate of a normal Pokéball. Those three are your standard Pokéballs as over here is the Luxury or Gorgeous Ball."

This Pokéball was different from the other three since it was pure black for instance as the middle strip where the centre button was had been painted a dark red with silver outlines on the top and bottom of the bar and the centred button shined golden. At near top of the Pokéball, there was another bat that bent down wards and circled towards the others side in golden and red.

It was an odd design; Harry couldn't understand why it was called the Luxury or Gorgeous Ball at all.

"Why is called that?" He asked Flint curiously.

"Like the Great Ball its catching rate is 1.5x," Flint elaborated, and winked. "But that's its first effect. The secondary effect is... well how about I just show you instead?" As he held up a Luxury Ball from his belt, and pressed the button to reveal the inside.

It looked like a freaking five star hotel! Complete with red carpeting and furniture, with a bed.

"And this is why it's called the Luxury Ball," The redhead's smile stretched across his face. The slacked jawed expression on the kid's face was absolutely hilarious! Reattaching the ball to his waist, he chuckled. "Amazing right? It only costs 500.00 Pokeyen, until you have that money to keep on using normal Pokéballs instead."

Harry slowly nodded still dumbfounded.

"For the basics Potions heal injures, minor ones of course and Antidotes heal Poison," Flint listed off professionally off his finger. "Ice, Burn and Paralyze Heals are self explanatory same with Awakening ," his eyes glanced through the aisles pointing out each item. "Potions come in normal, Super, Hyper, Max and Full Restore. Each one heals injures to a greater degree than the last so make sure to have some on you and use when necessary. Full Heal heals any and all status effects, Repels keep away wild Pokémon so only use it during emergencies. You never know when you might need it," Giving Harry a look, as the he nodded. "Is that all?" Flint murmured to himself.

Seeing Volkner standing over by the glass and looking deep into though, Flint waved over at him.

"Oi, Volkner!" He called over.

The blonde spared him a glance. "What?"

"What are you looking at?" Flint asked heading towards his friend with Harry in tow, Norman and Sirius had gone off on their own down to the back aisles. Leaning over to the side and seeing the arrangement of stones lines up behind the glass. "Thinking of buying one?"

"Just browsing," Volkner murmured.

"There are certain Pokémon that require the usage of stones in order to evolve such as Raichu, it's pre-evolution Pikachu needs a Thunderstone to become Raichu." Flint explained. "B-But sometimes Pokémon go out of their way to find the stone in order to evolve, I know Volkner didn't want his Pikachu to evolve!" He hurried to add that part upon seeing the thunderous expression in Harry's eyes.

"Pikachu went out of it's way to evolve," Volkner answered reassuringly at Harry. "I don't agree with stone evolution or forcing a Pokémon to evolve, if anything it should be the Pokémon's choice whether or not they want to evolve. Anyway Flint, did you tell him about Revives?"

"Oh yeah!" Flint snapped his fingers. "Almost forgot about that-"

"And Berries?"

The redhead froze. "Err..."

"TMs? HMs?"

Flint began to sweat rapidly eyeing Volkner nervously as the blonde's eyes narrowed darkly at him. "I... ummm...sorry?"

"Revives share similarities to Potions and Full Heals the major difference is that they are used for dire situations, say if Bagon fainted during a fight and there was no Pokémon Centre in sight," Volkner stated, looking serious. "Now add wounds and major injuries to the equation. Using a Revive would be ideal in order to give Bagon back half of the energy. However, the wounds will be needed to be treated separately or at the Centre."

Harry gulped at the tone Volkner used and nodded firmly. "Okay."

"Good," The blonde allowed a tiny smile. "For a cliff notes version of berries, their used in everyday Pokémon food and are able to cure status ailments much like items, I know that some Pokémon prefer berries over items but sometimes items are better. Now TMs and HMs are called Technical Machines and Hidden Machines, don't ask me while. I don't get it either, their items that can be used to teach a Pokémon a move that it can't learn normally."

"Don't forget about Hold Items!" Flint chirped, smiling innocently at the poisonous glare sent to him. "What?"

"Hold Items?" Harry repeated, eyebrows furrowed together confused.

"There are certain items that Pokémon can use during battle that enhance their performance. Increasing their speed, attacking first, or boosting the power of their attack," Flint stated, interrupting Volkner looking sheepish at the blonde. "Sorry, didn't mean to cut you off there!"

Volkner shrugged. "Whatever. That's the basics of Hold Items, there are others that improve a Pokémon's innate ability or prevent evolution."

"That's... a whole lot," Harry commented, the load of information was a lot to taken in. He felt rather embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it," Fint ruffled Harry's hair, grinning. "Volkner and Norman will be there to help you guys out!"

Volkner frowned, looking around. "Where is Norman and Sirius for that matter?"

"They're at the back," Flint answered. "Why should we grab'em?"

"I'm sure they're fine." The blonde retorted, frowned. "Bags?"

"Alright got-"

"Utensiles?"

"Right here," Flint held it up. "And we have sleeping bags and tents, grabbed them when you weren't looking."

Volkner nodded stiffly. "So we're good?"

"For now," Flint answered.

Harry's eyes switched between the two and how they managed to finish each other's line. Why did he have a feeling that the conversation had happened dozens of times before?

"Oh and by the way Volkner," Flint addressed. "You need new swim trunks."

Volkner flinched. "Urgh, I know. I _still _can't believe that happened, what kind of idiot am I?"

"Do I dare ask?" Harry stated, bemused at the two older men.

"Let's say it involved Volkner being drunk, his swim trunks, alcohol and fire." Flint said smiling widely.

"Shut up Flint," Volkner groaned burying half of his face into his hand. "Just shut the hell up."

While he barely remembered what exactly had gone down that night, mere snippets would appear every now and then. The only solace that he had was that there hadn't been too much damage during the party and everyone made it home safely, only his beloved trunks had been destroyed.

"Ah c'mon Volkner," Flint draped an arm over his shoulder, waving his hand in front of him. "With me here, we'll find you a nice good pair!"

It was at that moment when he was aware that nothing good could come from Flint's advice. He was doomed.

* * *

><p>Harry had never been so grateful to get out of a store as he was now; there had been far too many colors and clothes that Flint had forced him to try on over and over again until the man been absolutely satisfied. Harry hadn't liked how he had been treated as if he has some kind of doll! At least he didn't have to undress in front of them. During his years at Hogwarts he made sure to be the first one up and changed or the very last, something he had managed to get away with upon joining the Qudditich Team.<p>

Harry didn't like being naked around people, it was too uncomfortable for him and didn't like people staring as if he was a piece of meat or his scars, the ones he had gained through his adventures. Instinctively, glancing at his right hand. His luck had come through again, he had managed to find a pair of fingerless gloves to cover his hands.

Sirius still had no idea about the scars he had received during his detentions from Umbridge and as far Harry was concerned. His godfather would continue to be ignorant of it. There was no reason for Harry to tell him, they were starting a new life in the strange new world. Looking behind rather than forward wouldn't do either of them good, having the gloves would give him the necessary time for the scars to heal over avoiding any confrontation that would happen.

It was selfish of him. But it was true consequently.

Harry had to admit, Flint did have good taste and sense of color glancing down at his navy jeans. It wasn't too loose and it wasn't too tight either, the feeling was odd since he had worn mainly Dudley's old clothes and his school uniform for the majority of his life. Being able to wear something that wasn't from the Dursleys and from the school, felt strange and oddly appealing excluding Mrs. Weasley's jumpers. His black hoodie tugged over his black shirt, standing with Sirius and the other two men. In his arms was the egg, standing quietly in the capsule given to him by Volkner and Flint from the day before.

"You have everything?" Flint asked, seriously as they stood outside nearing the Sunyshore train station. His hands slipped deep into his pockets. "Items? Necessities? The train tickets?"

Originally, they had planned to take a Pokémon by flight to get to Sandgem however; the weight of the four of them would have weighed the flying type down. Instead, Flint managed to pull some strings in order to get them on the next train for Sunyshore and there had been enough tickets for all of them.

"Yes, Mom." Volkner teased with a grin on his face, looking at his friend. "We have everything, no need to worry."

Norman chuckled, decked out with a pair of denim jeans and a purple shirt underneath his black jacket. "We'll be fine Flint, but thank you for your concern."

"At least Norman cares," Flint faked a sniff, portraying a rather melodramatic posture.

"Yeah, yeah," Volkner rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. "Whatever you say, you drama queen!"

Flint grinned. "Anyway, make sure you guys give me a call when you reach Sandgem! Have a safe trip and try not to kill each other!"

"They're not you Flint," He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Ouch, hurts." Flint stated placing his hand over his heart. "Right here."

Volkner snorted.

The loud sound of the train's whistle pierced the air, loudly ringing into the ears of the people at the platform. It was a signal for the crowd to inform those boarding the train that the departure time was drawing near, those taking the train quickly said their final farewells and formed into various lines at each compartment of the train, still waving at their loved ones.

"Looks like it's time," Sirius stated, swinging his bag over his shoulder. Around his chest was a blue vest on top of the dark red dress shirt and a pair of black jeans, on his belt was the Pokéball that contained Chatot. He gave Harry a gentle push. "C'mon, time's a wasting!"

"Talk to you soon, Flint!" Harry informed the man, smiling as he went and joined his godfather waving back at Flint.

Volkner nodded. "See ya Flint," Giving him a firm nod, following after them.

Watching as his friend ran after Harry and Sirius, Flint couldn't help but shook his head bemused. He was glad to see that the old Volkner, the one he had grown up with was finally making a comeback. He only hoped that it didn't turn out in vain, placing his faith into this plan and that his friend would find the happiness that he truly deserve. He felt a tight squeeze from his shoulder, seeing Norman standing beside him wearing a knowing smile before heading to the compartment nonchalantly.

Rolling his eyes, Flint began to wave as the train headed off to Sandgem. Once it was out of sight, he moved forward in order to make preparations for Volkner's gym and to inform Cynthia of the current situation. His body froze as a cold chill ran up his spine, making him shiver violently at the thought of the champion. Passing it off as a cold, Flint decided to make a quick detour to the restaurant for some hot food unaware of the dark clouds forming above him.

A storm was brewing and no one was the wiser.

* * *

><p>Chapter five end.<p>

And so, their journey begins... in the next chapter! I want to once again thank everyone whom reviewed, I'm very happy that all of you are enjoying this and helping to keep this fic alive!

Just for a heads up, I have two other fics; one is Renewed Resolve which is currently my own standalone Pokemon fic which I strongly hope that you will check out and one of my recent posting; Rise of the Uzumaki a crossover with involving Pokemon Harry Potter Naruto and many other crossovers, so please make sure to give a look through and to check the poll on my profile for it as well!

Harry's Team:  
>Bagon<br>Type: Dragon  
>Gender: Male<br>Nature: Bashful  
>Ability: Rock Head<br>Moves: Tackle, Dragon Rage, Focus Energy, Hidden Power and Zen Headbutt.

Temporarily: Egg.

Sirius' team:  
>Chatot<br>Type: Flying  
>Gender: Male<br>Nature: Relaxed  
>Ability: Keen Eye<br>Moves: Mirror Move, Peck, Sing, Fly, Growl and Air Cutter.

Norman's Party:  
>Glameow<br>Type: Normal  
>Gender: Male<br>Nature: Impish  
>Ability: Own Tempo<br>Moves: Hypnosis, Fury Swipes, Growl, Fake Out, Cut and Quick Attack.

For those who noticed, each Pokemon DOES have six moves rather than the standard form. I feel that having a six move set is more balanced instead of the four, just for a heads up. And Volkner's party was left out intentionally!

Make sure to leave constructive criticism in your reviews!


	6. Starting the Journey

Chapter 6: Starting the Journey

The train ride from Sunyshore to Sandgem had gone awfully pleasant. The train was absolutely magnificent and completely normal, without a single trace of magic and looked akin to the new world. One of the major differences was the compartments having beds allowing them get a good rest during the night fall, it was also a bit longer when compared to the Hogwarts Express giving them room to explore and meet different kinds of people; some of them normal while others... not so much. Such as the ones Harry was currently deal with.

"Royal flush, my win boys," the teen declared revealing his cards on the table as the other four members jumped out of their seats in awed horror oblivious to Harry collecting his winnings with glee shuffling carefully into a small pile. Glancing upwards and smirked widely at the still shocked men. "Care to play again?"

And with that the four grabbed whatever they had before leaving the table and the room carrying the only amount of dignity. The clouds of dust visible trailed behind them filled with the burning sensation tingled his nose. It never failed to amuse him at easily he was capable of winning so effortlessly, having perfected his technique over the years and used it during the Poker tournaments that occasionally went on in the boy's dorm while never serious gambles he usually came out as the winner. Though, he never played that often and more than once left his opponents bewildered and shocked.

"Where in the seven hells did you learn that?" Sirius commented, staring at his godson in shock.

Volkner smiled slightly. "I should have realized you weren't completely naive."

Norman was more bemused rather than shocked his eyes danced with mirth, lips threatened to spread into laughter. His hand covered his mouth in an attempt to conceal his smile as the other hand twitched with amusement hanging by his side.

Harry didn't seem fazed. "It's the only thing useful I learned from the Dursleys," placing the money into his pockets and removed himself the table nonchalantly walking past the three. "So what should we do now? Shouldn't we be arriving soon?"

The Dursleys? Volkner made a quick glance at Norman, whom appeared curious as he was. Judging by Sirius' expression and the tone from Harry's voice they were not held in high regard, deciding not to bring it up as he casually checked his Poketch.

"We should be arriving shortly." He answered, as they had left during the afternoon when the train had departed from the station.

Norman stroked his chin. "You know this will be my first time in Sandgem Town," very rarely did Gym Leaders venture outside of their assigned cities unless of an emergency and conventions.

"Really?" Volkner asked curiously.

"Well, I'm original from Johto. So I mostly travelled regions closer to home," The man admitted sheepishly. "And after I decided to become a gym leader I went straight to Celadon University in order to achieve my goal and eventually ended up as the Hoenn Gym leader." Shrugging his shoulders he smiled brightly. "I helped that my friend, Professor Birch ended up being re-located to Hoenn. I was able to get a good deal on a house that I needed for my duties and my botany."

Sirius eyebrows furrowed. "Botany?"

"I study plants in my garden," Norman explained.

"And you train normal types?" Sirius retorted not unkindly. "Shouldn't you be training grass types instead?" So Botany was like Herbology then that was new. Harry hadn't realized muggles were capable of studying the same fields as wizards were despite magic not being involved.

Norman laughed. "I love plants don't get me wrong, but normal types always had a special place in my heart."

"There are some leaders that are actually assigned a certain type." Volkner murmured. "It's rare, but not uncommon."

"I know a few people like that, Drake of the Hoenn Elite is strictly for Dragon types." Norman commented, musing thoughtfully.

Volkner's lips twitched, fondly. "Flint and I are the same way though we try to be versatile."

"Having versatility in your team is good to have and having your gym team being able to counter threats," Norman stated with approval. Many of his Pokemon had been trained and taught moves in order to counter type advantages when challengers tried to gain the upper hand.

"And that's what TMs and HMs are for," Harry spoke up. "Right?"

"Not entirely. Some Pokemon are capable of learning moves of a different type naturally," Volkner answered truthfully. "But using TMs and HMs do help when trainers which to teach their Pokemon a move that they can't normally learn. My Octillery learned Charge Beam through the use of a TM."

Harry appeared satisfied with the answer heading to the compartment to grab their things, each having a bag only to hear the whistle from the front ring loudly nearing towards the destination. The other passengers also began to swarm preparing to leave the train, doors swinging up and people roughly moving past colliding unknowingly at times. It was rather expected seeing how busy it had been upon leaving Sunyshore, Sirius and Harry had been rather use to it due to King's Cross being packed with families trying to get their kids on the travel on time, and tourists trying to explore to their next location. Volkner was passive, not even blinking keeping a firm gaze forward. And Norman...

Norman was being polite and apologizing to anyone that ran into them.

"Remind me to teach him how to be rude," Sirius murmured to Harry, the teen snorted audibly.

"Whatever you say, Sirius," He replied rolling his eyes ignoring the mocked glare from his godfather.

"Attention all passengers we have currently arrives at Sandgem Station. Please make your way out in an orderly fashion," The voice of the conductor rang clearly from the PA system and repeated the message again. Lines began to form quickly at the various doors. Thankfully they managed to think ahead and were the first set to get off the train.

Sirius whistled. "That really didn't take all that long did it," being the first one out of the door. His bag was hanging over his shoulder, turned sharply as he waited for the last three.

"The train is one of the fastest in all of Sinnoh," Volkner began. "In fact it was designed after that Magnet train that runs through Kanto and Johto region."

"So how long has it been around for?" Sirius commented, smirking at how long the Hogwarts Express had been around compared to this one. While he loved that old train, it hadn't take him very long to figure out how many changes and repairs that the Access Express had gone under and developed during it's time regardless of how new it looked Sirius was able to see past the coating.

"Twenty or thirty years," The blonde responded nonchalantly. "I think the Magnet Train has been around for at least... a century-"

"It's coming up to it's 151st birthday," Norman instantly answered only to blush at the stares, sheepishly smiling. "I know my history?"

"At least someone does," The darker haired man said shooting a knowingly look at Harry.

The teen shrugged, giving a tiny smile. "I...err...still managed to pass?"

"_Sure._I believe you," Sirius remarked giving a mocking smile watching as Harry shook his head and walked forward with Volkner tagging behind him. Norman and him exchanged a look, both wearing smirks before following behind the other two but kept a gap of distance. "University?" The word seemed familiar rolling off his tongue oddly, he remembered Lily having brought it up once when she had begun dating James as an official couple. He didn't show an interest having his attention focused upon Remus rather than his friend's conversation. A sharp pain stabbed him in the stomach at the memory of his friends and how he acted during his younger days, Sirius had come to terms that he could not change the past deciding to focus on the future and his duty to Harry.

"It's secondary schooling; while it isn't necessarily required it does help when trying to find a job. Plus it does help when finding a house," Norman answered with a chuckle. "I was able to get a good house for my family, the gym and my botany. Did you not have Universities from where you're from?"

Sirius waved his hand. "Most of the kids I knew growing up had been homeschooled from birth to the age of eleven before being sent off to the private academy we attended. After I ended up joining the army since a civil war broke out." He carefully avoided mentioning Aurors giving a half-truth instead making him feel horrible withholding information from the man after Norman had treated him so kindly.

"And you're cousin was..." Norman began as his voice trailed off.

He understood what the other man was implicating. "Was on the opposite side in fact, she was a part of the inner circle enjoying murdering and torturing innocent people." His face twisted into something ugly as he clutched his fists together at seeing the headlines when he had been placed into Azkaban: 'Famous Auror Couple Tortured into insanity! Lestrange trio arrested!' The very thought made his blood boil at discovery the loss of his other friends and Order members. Obviously that had put the final nail on the decision to incarcerate him into prison without a trial, damn bastards.

Sirius realized how hypocritical he was being especially how he instantly linked certain names with being associated with the Dark Arts and the Death Eaters, his horrible experience with own family and with the rest of the Slytherin house hadn't done well for his view of the world. Everything seemed to black and white back then as everyone was labeled and flaunted their loyalties out in the open never questioning or changing, until they had learned a traitor in the Order had shaken his vision leading him to question Remus during the man's constant absence among the group eventually perceiving the man as a potential threat to James and Lily. Then came that fateful day when his world had shaken because of Wormtail's betrayal.

It had been that point where he had become disgusted with himself and his stereotypical sight he had developed, cursing that rat with every fibre of hatred and angry that coursed through his veins. In a strange sort of sense, Sirius owed it to the man for helping him mature his thoughts and ideals, no longer childish and clouded by Gryffindor's being good and Slytherin's being evil. Houses never mattered, it was the person themselves that determined whether intentions and future actions.

Norman sensed his discomfort and changed the subject. "Well, we should be arriving at Professor Rowan's lab soon. At least a half-hour walk minimum."

"I thought you've never been to Sandgem," Sirius stated confused.

"I haven't," the gym leader answered truthfully, smiled sheepishly again. "I'm going with my instincts to be honest," Norman looked thoughtful for a moment. "I could be wrong but after sitting on the train for nearly two days I think we all need the exercise, don't you agree?"

Sirius shifted uncomfortably. "I guess. I haven't done much exercising lately." not that he had the chance after being locked up in Azkaban for all those years. The only time he was even able to do anything freely was during his escape while being his Animagus form. It hadn't been the greatest thing in the world, but it had been something rather than nothing for that he couldn't complain. He enjoyed running freely opposed to be confined like he had been back in Grimmauld place, it wasn't his style.

"I'll help you get back into it," Norman offered kindly.

Sirius stared. "Really?" That was a surprise, no one back home had offered him any help getting back to how he used to be. His throat tightened and swallowed, feeling the dryness seeing the sincerity and the truth shined in Norman's eyes. "I...thank you."

Norman flashed a smile. "No need to thank me, I want to help you."

Continuing onward only to be oblivious to Sirius' blush as he remained behind, staring at the man's back with a strange expression that couldn't be placed. Snapping out of his stupor Sirius hastened to catch up to the three.

It was strange. Sirius couldn't remember the last time he had meet someone as kind as Norman, Remus didn't count for various reasons and neither did Tonks for that matter. Too much had happened between him and his old friend the wounds were still fresh and barely able to heal as Remus had become too much of a Dumbledore devotee in his opinion and cared far more about himself instead of others. In fact, Sirius couldn't help but think as the man being more than a coward then Wormtail had at least the rat had admitted he was scared all while Remus was still deluded in his fantasy's of the so-called 'great and powerful' Dumbledore that was unable to do wrong.

It sickened him and nearly caused him to grimace when Remus had approached him before Harry's fifth and asked about being Harry's secondary Godfather incase something happened. Sirius used all of his willpower not to strangle the man then and there, couldn't he understand that the reason Lily and James hadn't trusted him wasn't because they suspected him of being the traitor but instead was too weak in all aspects?

Thankfully, he had managed to deter the man and change the subject entirely and being extremely gullible like he had been Remus fell for it completely. It was another reason why he didn't and wouldn't ever trust Harry in Remus's care, had the common sense of a gnat.

Trust was a difficult thing for Sirius to give to other people only ever giving it to Harry, who was the only one that seemed to understand it. They had both been treated as delicate figures that would break at any given moment, verbally abused by others like Molly and Snape, never being able to find solace besides one another. Having such a large distance between them and little to no communication had made the previous year like an utter hell, being kept in Grimmauld place had done what Azkaban hadn't: driven him insane.

But...something had changed. He couldn't explain but it was obvious that it had something to do with this new world. Whether that change was something positive Sirius wasn't certain on however, Harry seemed far happier than he had been in their home world and that was enough for him.

That being said, Sirius had taken notice of the friendship between his godson and the blonde. He didn't know much about Volkner other than he was the Sunyshore Gym leader and he had looked after Harry upon his arrival in the new world but, overall, he seemed like a good lad. A bit on the silent and gruff side, but nothing that struck him as bad despite Volkner's initial appearance he seemed okay in his books. That didn't mean Sirius liked the way he looked at his godson.

The small smile and softened expression that appeared on their faces when the other turned away. It was almost painful to watch.

Sirius gritted his teeth at the thought of the blonde attempting to court his beloved godson. In his mind there would never be anyone good enough to date Harry, especially after the abysmal date the boy had with that Ravenclaw girl Cho and the indian girl for the Yule Ball, one of the Patil family as far as he recalled. Poor kid never had a chance, having never being taught properly about dates or how to handle a girl then again he had pegged Harry for playing for the other team long ago.

That was neither here or nor there at the moment.

Regardless of his own thoughts on the blonde, in retrospective Sirius knew that in truth he knew absolutely nothing about Volkner and had quickly judged him as unworthy. He dismissed his own feelings as a father and his own selfish desire to not give Harry away so easily-and not just anyone either. The very last thing he wished for his godson was to be whisked away unhappily against his own will just as he had been back home. Though... as much as Sirius hated to admit it, it seemed as if Harry reciprocated Volkner's feelings.

They hadn't known each other long, but love and attraction were incomprehensible to humans. Sirius was by no means an expert on love, but seeing the way James had sought out Lily for affection at least provided him with some insight. Thankfully, Harry hadn't inherit his father's lovesickness and, for a lack of a better term, skirt-chasing.

Sirius's lips twitched remembering how much trouble James had gotten them into trying to gain Lily's heart. Most of them were normal ideas that every teenage boy had and others were absolutely insane, James had been the crazy one out of the four of them.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, there had been a time where they had believed that the Marauders would last forever, surviving the war that tore families and friends apart. They had been too naive and young that a group of school boys were smarter than the average wizard, upon reaching the real world was when their friendship had begun to deteriorate with Remus forced to fight against the prejudices against werewolves and Peter, whom was always a coward, without any of them to protect him from the Death Eaters, it was probably when he had joined the dark side.

Thinking about it more clearly now, Sirius could see why Remus had suspected him and vice versa. They both had acted rather shady, with Remus struggling to find a job and his missions during his time with the Auror's were reasonable enough for them to distrust the other.

Not like there was anything that could be changed. What was done was done, and Sirius, despite spending twelve years in Azkaban, wouldn't have changed a thing since Sirius wouldn't have become whom he was today.

Besides what use was there dwelling on the past when the future was in front of you?

* * *

><p>The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, the wind was a gentle breeze across the fields. The day could almost be perceived as perfect. Almost anyway, perfection was a state of delusion and false perception for the desperate and competitive. In his opinion anyhow, especially after yesterday's little mishap.<p>

A rather prime example could be the small hole in his wall, that had been broken open. Which really needed to be fixed, of course he wasn't going to call a professional, nope. One of his assistance would be able to take care of it with precise ease.

Professor Rowan made sure to hire those with various skills and talents that would aid them in the research field and of course, for repairs when they time called for it. Just as it had been for the previous day, admittedly he should have predicted some of the damage that would occur when having the three starters out of their Pokéballs. However, it was rather inhumane to keep them inside for long periods of time and refused to do as such. However, once a trainer selected their starters he lost say in how a trainer raised and cared for their respected Pokémon.

That was best left up to Gym leaders and the Pokémon League Association. If they discovered a trainer treating their Pokémon badly, then it was in their full right to ban them from being a trainer and if necessary, arrest them.

This brought him to his greatest worry of all: Paul.

There was something about that boy which disturbed him greatly; he was unable to exactly put a finger on the reason only that it was there. Rowan knew from experience that judging someone based upon first impressions was hardly accurate, he preferred to leaving it up to time to learn about the person just as he did when doing Pokémon research, observing how they interacted over time. Unfortunately his instinct, heart and mind all agreed in unison that there was something off about Paul, not evil, but close to it. The twisted and malicious expression and callous attitude towards Pokémon, his and others alike sent him warning flags inside of him.

Rowan would have been lying if he hadn't thought of taking Paul's licences and calling the Police right then and there, the boy was capable of becoming too dangerous and violent if left unchecked. He managed to suppress the urge deciding to let time and fate decide the boy's path as he hoped that his decision had been the right one. Trusting and believing in the journey could aid Paul to grow out of whatever menacing intent the buried deep inside of the boy, changing him into someone good. Rowan sincerely had doubts of it occurring as horrible as it sounded. Too many trainers had succumbed to the power of the Pokémon, acting out for the sake of power and greed.

He had seen it happen far more often than people thought possible. Once humans got a taste of power they wished to gain more, it was in their nature.

However, it made him wonder as to why Paul had decided to begin travelling Sinnoh now of all times? He didn't know much about the boy in general only that he had initially travelled through Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions. Either he hadn't been entirely confident about challenging his home league until now or there was something going on.

Rowan sighed, pressing his back against his chair. That sounded completely stupid now that he thought about it.

"I need a drink," He murmured lowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. That past two days had been rather hectic, between research and prepping for beginning trainers he hadn't had much time to himself only taking what privacy he was able to find and use to hear himself think. The life of a researcher was a demanding one. But in the end it was worth it. Speaking of demanding he knew that the new set of trainers would be arriving at his lab shortly.

Unfortunately, he had received the message from Nurse Joy a bit too late as the starter Pokémon he had left were now down to one. The young girl from Twinleaf Town, Dawn had selected Piplup as her starter and the second trainer had chosen his starter leaving only one left out of the group.

It would have been great if Nurse Joy had given him an approximate number of the group rather than leaving him to speculate.

A knock of his door grabbed his attention opening to reveal one of his assistants, a young woman with short auburn hair and small glasses wearing a pointed and tenative gaze.

"Excuse me, Professor Rowan, sir?" She spoke clearly and waited as he nodded for her to continue. "The group you mentioned has arrived. They're waiting in the lab."

Rowan nodded. "Thank you, I shall be there in a moment."

"Of course, sir." She bowed her head, closing the door as she left.

It was now or never he mused removing himself from the chair and began to walk towards his lab. A feeling of guilt stirred inside, he was unable to provide these brand new trainers with the proper starters like so many had received before them, having being told of them rather late. There was only one Pokémon left to give out, if needed be he would accompany these trainers into the forest in order to capture the necessary pokémon just to make certain that they were protected.

It wouldn't do any good for them to venture without a Pokémon though if his luck held out hopefully the group would be small. Closing upon the door leading towards his lab he quickly straightened his posture before heading inside and met with an interesting surprise.

"Volkner?"

The legendary Sunyshore Gym leader turned his gaze on him and nodded politely. "Professor Rowan."

"I must say it's a surprise to see you. The last I heard of you was the blackouts occurring endlessly back in Sunyshore," The blonde looked rather sheepish at the remark as Rowan let out a gruff chuckle. "You managed to make a good name for yourself, you must be very proud."

"I guess so," Volkner shrugged disinterested. It wasn't that big of a deal!

Rowan's lips twitched. "If you say so, now then," His eyes wondered over towards the rest of the group spotting the two men and Harry. "I'm assuming you three are the new trainers?"

"Actually I'm a gym leader from Hoenn," The man wearing the black jacket corrected pleasantly.

The man with the long hair spoke next. "It's Harry, my godson and I that are the new trainers."

That was unexpected not many trainers started their journey so late. It wasn't an uncommon thing due to parents wishing for their children to complete their education before sending them off into the world, others were sent off after finishing the Trainer Academy.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet both of you. I am Professor Rowan," He introduced himself professionally.

"Name's Sirius Black!"

The teen with the glasses nodded. "Harry Potter, sir."

"Unfortunately I don't have enough Pokémon for the both of you I'm afraid." Rowan gave them sympathetic look, striding over towards the table where the lone Pokéball remained on the table. Picking up and opening the ball allowing the bright bluish light to engulf the room forming into a small turtle like creature with green skin with a small brown shell, it's feet were a pale yellow and had a small sprout on top. Looking around, the turtle blinked tiredly.

"Turtwig?"

"As it said this is Turtwig, holding the title of the Tiny Leaf Pokémon," Rowan elaborated coolly. "As you can probably tell Turtwig is a Grass type, and is usually one of the three starters given out to trainers. The other two were Piplup and Chimchar, whom have already been selected by a trainer. I'm sure you'll encounter them sooner or later."

The turtle still looked around, confused. "Turt?" Shrugging and let loose a small yawn.

"Cute," Sirius commented, smiling at the small creature on the table. Reminded him of himself actually during his time of confinement at Grimmauld Place, being unable to do anything other than sitting around watching as the so called 'guests' run in and out of the house like the headless chickens that they truly were. Maybe Turtwig felt the same way he had, holding out his hand towards the turtle observing as it's beady eyes watched his hand carefully before stepping forward, nuzzling the head affectionately.

"Looks like Turtwig likes you, Sirius." Noman said, watching as the man and the Pokémon continued to interact.

Sirius smirked. "You think?"

"Not surprisingly, starter Pokémon and beginning trainers usually form a bond rather quickly." Rowan stated with a firm nod.

"So what do you say, want to come along?" Sirius asked the small creature.

"Turt!"

Sirius grinned. "Glad to have you!" As Turtwig jumped into his arms and began to nuzzle into his chest, drifting off to sleep upon doing so. The dark haired man watched bemused and placed Turtwig's Pokéball upon it's belt, still carrying the small creature gently in his arms.

"Technically Sirius and I already have Pokémon." Harry brought up, coughing as Rowan's eyes landed on him. "We only really came to get our Pokédex."

Rowan stared before blinking rapidly. "Then why didn't you say so in the first place?" Not giving them a chance to answer he moved towards the desk to open up a drawer pulling out two beige boxes as he sharply turned back holding them out towards them. "These contain both of your Pokédex and five Pokéballs, I assume that you know how they work?"

"Volkner and Norman explained it to us," Harry answered truthfully.

Rowan nodded. "Do you have your trainer cards?" On cue the two held out their cards. "Excellent, first open your boxes and pull out your Pokédexes," Harry received a deep green and Sirius pulled out a golden one. "Now if you look at the circular black handle with the green light on it, you'll notice a slot. Simply place your card through there and the data will be uploaded into your Pokédex."

As Harry was doing so his eyes landed on Turtwig and the Pokéballs in the box. "Do we register the Pokéballs with the Pokédex?"

"The Pokeballs in your kits are pre-registered with the accompanying pokédex," Rowan answered with a chuckle.

"I thought you only had one starter left," Sirius stated cautiously, eyes flickering towards Turtwig and the two Pokédexes. "Yet you have two of these," holding them up where all of them could see. "Seems kind of suspicious if you ask me," crossing his arms and waited patiently for the man to answer.

"It never hurts to have a spare," Rowan informed the man.

The wizard wasn't entirely satisfied but relented as his eyes stayed on him. "Is this all?"

"That should be it. Though, I would highly suggest you take a Town Map with you, without one navigating your way will be rather difficult. However, Volkner should be able to help." Nodding towards the blonde, whom looked away attempting to hide the blush. "You can grab one in the next town over."

"Thank you Professor Rowan we'll take your advice," Norman stated.

"If there is nothing else I wish the four of you good luck on your journey," Rowan said with a tiny smile gesturing towards the door. "If you go out that way it will take you directly to Route 202, it till take you straight to Jubilife City."

Sirius nodded slowly. "Alright, thanks Professor. C'mon then," guiding Harry towards the direction lazily followed after by Volkner with Norman sending the man an apologetic look before joining them.

After several moments of silence Rowan shook his head, unable to keep the grin of his face. "That was rather unexpected, but not unwelcome. I could use a few changes in my daily routine at this age," only to sigh heavily. "I really am getting old."

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 end.<p>

And finally the journey begins with a new team member added to the roster! I apologize for such a short chapter, but don't fret the next one will be much longer!

Once again I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, they are what keeps this fic going!

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **Speaking of reviews, my beta articuno13 has received a strange email from one of the admins of FFN regarding the ban and remove of same-gendered relationships being in fics and mentioned, I was wondering if anyone has received a similar notice or knows anything about it?

If so, I've already created a LJ account, the link is posted on my profile and will be posting both here and on my LJ.

So until next time!


	7. Tension

Chapter 7: Tension

The next day had rolled around rather quickly as the four of them camped out in the middle of the woods, just deep enough to get a visual view of the beaten path leading to Jubilife city. Getting lost on the first length of the journey was something none of them wanted to happen. Having left Sandgem around mid-day allowed them to get a good start, and thankfully enough, it hadn't started raining as they did so. They spent most of the first part of the journey trying to put up the tents correctly and failed on a number of occasions as neither Sirius nor Harry had ever been camping, while Volkner apparently was not a fan of it but was determined to get the tents set up right.

Apparently the blonde was very competitive. Eyes sparked with determination Volkner fiddled with the poles, struggling to get it to work and having it fall on him. Needless to say after that fiasco, Norman had stepped in and managed to get the tents standing.

It had taken seven attempts before the man was finally able to get them up. Not having gone camping in nearly a decade had rendered Norman to be just as useless as the rest of them were.

Overall much to Harry's dismay, the man also shared the same inability with the culinary arts leaving him as the cook out of the four. Not that Harry personally minded, but still it would have been nice to have someone other than himself to switch every so often. The situation could have been worse in his opinion and Harry simply decided to accept the fact, besides there was nothing to stop him from attempting to teach the three of them how to cook anyway.

The previous night had been _different_then what Harry had imaged. Sleeping on the hard ground wasn't as bad as he initially expected, having slept in a cupboard underneath the stairs for the majority of his life, laying on the ground was nothing.

He tiredly glanced to the side, Sirius was still very fast asleep and hugging his pillow tightly against him. The man looked very peaceful, sleeping. Being finally able to rest without nightmares, worry or others interrupting Sirius from getting the rest he needed. Recalling the snipped remarks being tossed around at Sirius whenever he allowed himself to take a moment to sit down and catch his breath due to the lack of sleep caused by his imprisonment. Not that Harry could personally blame his godfather especially after twelve years of constant Dementor exposure he was able to understand how hard it must have been for Sirius to sleep with the barrage of nightmares and the malicious memories slipping through his ear, as the man struggled for control to remain sane. But no one took it into consideration, shifting any blame that occurred in Grimmauld place straight onto Sirius' shoulder without as much giving the man to defend himself. Whenever he did try it had been for nothing, as Harry was the only one that even took his side and made certain to protect him from them. Only to be pushed away and shoved into another room as if he was fragile like glass.

It sickened him.

There had been nights where Sirius and Harry had both went into each other's bedrooms and helped the other sleep. However, Sirius usually went into his Animagus form to avoid making it look inappropriate and usually left the room before anyone woke up and vise versa. None of them needed to know what they did. They wouldn't understand. Harry was only glad that Ron was such a heavy sleeper or else they would have been problems.

It had been one of the reasons that they had chosen to share a tent together leaving Norman and Volkner in the other one. It hadn't taken Harry very long to figure out that Sirius held a deep attraction to the other man and originally thought about sharing a tent with Norman eventually deciding against it. Though he was also certain that another reason Sirius had shared with him was because of his distrust of the electric leader and his overprotective nature, which was understandable given the situation that they were stuck in. He sincerely doubted that the blonde held any malicious intentions having spent a great deal of time around Volkner, and not once sensed anything ill intent.

Harry covered his mouth, preventing himself from yawning and quickly slipped on a shirt, pants and his shoes before quietly heading outside of the tent. He glanced at his sleeping godfather giving a small smile, zipping the tent close again. The small camp fire that they had made was out, and everything was packed back into the bags thankfully washed.

"I guess I should start preparing some breakfast then. Alright, let's go Bagon!" Harry called as he took out the Pokéball, holding it tightly as a flash of light escape it and formed into the small blue dragon. His eyes danced with mirth as Bagon's head whipped around looking for him, before turning around and spotting him. Without much of a notice, the small dragon jumped straight into his arms and snuggled only for Harry to chuckle at the affection. "Hey, it's good to see you as well. Did you sleep well?"

"Bagon!"

Harry's smiled became soft. "I'm glad to hear it. Sorry that I kept you in your Pokéball that long, I'll try not to do it often. Okay?"

"Bagon!" The dragon replied, happily.

"Alright then," Harry began as returned his attention back onto the camp fire and pointed towards it. "Do you think you can use fire to make it going?"

The dragon type stared, titled his head. "Bag?"

"Ummmm...eerrr..." Harry hesitated as he remembered how Norman and Flint had given their Pokémon commands during battle. How was he supposed to figure out what Bagon was capable of? And more importantly, where could he find out? "Ummm...use fire breath?"

"...Bagon." The dragon type stated flatly.

He sighed, giving Bagon a pitiful look. "I'm sorry, I'm trying. I really am."

"Check your Pokedex," A male voice suggested from behind him, as Harry turned to see Norman stepping out of the tent wearing a pair of beige shorts and a black t-shirt. He wore a warm expression making his way over to him. "Since Bagon is registered into your Pokedex as yours, it will provide you with the information about him." Watching as the boy pulled out the device. "Alright, now give the verbal command about your Bagon."

"Pokédex analyze Bagon?" Harry said, sounding like a question rather than a statement.

The device buzzed. "Pokémon name: Bagon. Type: Dragon."

"Now ask about Bagon's moveset," Norman continued.

Harry nodded. "What are Bagon's current moves?"

"Analyzing... current moves: Tackle, Dragon Rage, Focus Energy, Hidden Power and Zen Headbutt." The Pokedex answered, with small ball of light flashed with each word. "One move slot is available. Would you like to use a TM?"

"One move slot?" Harry repeated.

The older man chuckled. "Pokémon can learn up to six moves. As it grows and adapts new moves will replace old moves depending on the situation. Which is why there are TMs, it allows a Pokémon to learn a move that they usually cannot learn naturally or an old move a trainer wishes their Pokémon to re-learn. Though, there are move tutors that are able to do that."

"What does Dragon Rage, Focus Energy, Hidden Power and Zen Headbutt do?" Harry asked curiously, the last one sounded rather obvious to him but it was better to know instead of later.

"_Dragon Rage: A Dragon type energy based attack that comes in the form of shockwaves. It is powered by pure rage._" The machine answered in monotone. "_Focus Energy: A normal type move that allows that doubles that amount of damage after use," _The Pokedex paused for a moment. "_Hidden Power: A Normal type attack that is a complete mystery, the strength and power varies from Pokémon to Pokémon. Zen Headbutt: A psychic attack that is a stronger version of the move _Headbutt _the user channels willpower to it's head to cause greater damage."_

Harry frowned. "Bagon can learn Normal and Psychic type attacks?"

"I guess we should have explained a bit better. Just because a Pokémon is of a certain type doesn't mean that they are unable to learn moves stemming from a different type," Norman explained. "However, the majority of the moves they learn will have a strong connection to their own typing. But, Normal type Pokémon have a bit of an advantage when it comes to moves, as they are capable of learning various moves of each typing."

"Why is that?" Harry asked curiously, still holding Bagon in his arms.

The dark haired man beamed. "Well, that's because Normal types are classified as neutral. Because their innate energy, called Aura, it allows them to adapt the easiest which is how they are able to learn a different number of moves than most types."

"So their Aura pool is larger." Harry stated slowly.

Norman nodded. "Exactly, as Normal types are well known for their physical strength and special attacks. Being a leader that trains Normal types, I can tell you how difficult and rewarding it is to be able to train them." Growing up in Goldenrod City he had grown up around normal types ever since childhood, eventually decided to become a master of normal types as he rose the ranks and landed a job as the Petalburg Gym leader after the old one had retired several years back. He hadn't regretted it.

"I see," Harry murmured, looking rather thoughtful and gazed down at Bagon. The small dragon beamed happily upwards causing him to chuckle, allowing his smile to spread across his face.

"You don't have to train just one type, you know." The man quickly reassured quickly.

The teen glanced at him. "Hm? Oh, yeah I figured as much."

"That's good," Norman let loose a sigh of relief. "I was a bit worried there for a moment!" He chuckled cheerfully and focused back onto the teen. "How is Bagon anyway?"

"He's alright." Harry informed the man. "Just... I don't like keeping him in a Pokéball for long." It felt unfair to Harry keeping the dragon inside of the ball after gaining it's trust, not allowing him to move around and see the world around him. He made a mental note to keep the small dragon out unless it was unnecessary. "What are you doing up this early?" He asked curiously, changing the subject.

"I'm usually up this early. Hardly do I ever let myself sleep in," The leader answered sheepishly and grinned. "Relaxing and sleeping is good and all, but I prefer getting up and doing something rather than sitting around all day."

Harry blinked. "Oh, well...I guess you could help make breakfast?"

"Really?" Norman asked, shocked. "You'd let me? After last night?"

"Why not?" Harry retorted, picking a frying pan from the bag. "Besides, it's better having another person around to help."

The leader smiled. "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

"...I haven't really decided what to make for breakfast to be honest," Harry admitted truthfully focused on the small fire area. "My attention was getting the fire going and with Bagon not knowing any fire related moves... looks like we'll have to do things the old fashion way," Picking up two twigs from the ground placing them in the middle of where the fire was and began to rub them together, hoping to ignite a small spark to get it going.

"Are you sure that's going to work?" Norman asked bemused.

His emerald eyes darted towards the older man. "Do you have a better idea?"

"Rather than telling, how about I show you instead?" Norman stated as he dug through his shorts and pulled out a dark blue lighter. "We can use this match to light the fire, but..." His gaze fell straight to the burnt wood from the previous night. "These may work. Just in case, how about you and I go grab some new fire wood while the other two sleep."

Harry briefly thought over the idea and decided to go with the man. He sincerely doubted that the two would be up before they returned to the site anyway, at least Volkner anyhow as the blonde seemed to be the type to sleep through any and everything no matter how noise and loud. Plus, Sirius needed as much rest and relaxation as possible, despite the man not being a deep sleeper Harry could not bring himself to waking the man up after seeing how content his godfather had looked. Sincerely doubting that the two would mind Norman and himself fleeted deeper inside of the trees to gather more wood.

It hadn't taken very long. Norman seemed to at least know which types of wood would be good for the fire and ones that didn't. Together they managed to break back a great deal for the next several nights pending on how long they planned on staying in the woods.

That didn't matter to Harry as he had never experienced the outdoors before. The same could not be said for Sirius and Volkner, though he was somewhat certain that his godfather was at least enjoying himself as the previous night the man had practically been bouncy, while not an unusual trait for Sirius it seemed different. His godfather never struck him as the outdoors type, though Sirius' animagus form was a dog, or maybe he was just celebrating their new found freedom?

Harry didn't know.

Upon returning to the camp Norman and himself quickly went to work on the meal, having decided to make bacon sandwiches with eggs. Mostly, Harry was doing the work as the man fetched what he needed and carefully watched him going to work.

"Smells delicious," Norman informed with a large smile sniffing the air as his stomach rumbled loudly. His cheeks went red with embarrassment before laughing. "Think I can get a quick bite?"

Harry snorted, glancing up. "Once it's done. Patient is a virtue. Speaking of which," diverting his attention to the tents. "I'm surprised that they're still asleep. I would have thought that aroma of bacon would have woken them up," Shaking his head in mock pity and returned to the meal.

"Poor souls," Norman agreed with a cheeky grin. "Don't know the wondrous powers of bacon." Beaming as he saw Harry's lips twitched bemused and nearly laughed at the comment. Norman was rather glad to see that the teen was finally beginning to warm up to him. The first meeting Harry had been rather polite and formal, barely saying a word unless it was to Volkner or Sirius, so getting the teen to talk and laugh he was able to consider a point in his favour.

The rustling sounds eventually echoed from the tents as the two finally emerged from their slumber, Volkner being disgruntled and murmuring incoherently under his breath and Sirius being the polar opposite looking completely energized as they plopped themselves straight beside them and dug into their meals.

"Have a good sleep?" Harry questioned, unable to prevent the smile from spreading on his face.

The blonde stared at him passively. "I wish I could have slept longer," he murmured jamming the sandwich into his mouth and chewed slowly, allowing himself to swallow the food. It was very delicious and addictive as he went in for another bite.

"Thanks Harry!" Sirius remarked, having finished his meal and grinned widely. "I'm ever so thankful to have a godson that is capable of cooking!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know," Shaking his head fondly and returned to his meal before briefly exchanging a look with Volkner which had not gone unnoticed by Sirius. Not that Harry had noticed being occupied by finishing his meal. The cleaning had been done post haste after the meal due to the extra hands.

"So what are we going to do now?" Sirius asked a frown on his lips.

Volkner and Norman looked at one another prompting the older to take the lead. "We'll we think it's time that you learn how to capture your first Pokémon," As he watched the reactions noting Harry's uncomfortable stance and Sirius' intrigued gaze. "Well split off into a pair so we can cover more ground. If that's alright with the both of you," Nodding towards the two and continued. "That is, if you want to."

"That's..." Sirius began slowly; his eyes darted at his godson and back at the man. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Are _you _okay with it?" Volkner asked, bluntly towards Harry gazing with concern.

The wizard stared for several minutes before sighing. "I... think I am. Just let me give it a shot, okay?"

"You came around quick," Sirius commented with surprising.

The teen shrugged. "Complaining about it doesn't solve anything. So actually doing it and seeing how it works would be the first step in getting over my dislike of it."

"Very mature," Norman complimented sincerely.

Volkner took this moment to stride over to Harry's side, moving in for the kill. "Guess the two of us will be heading off then," and sharply turning his back towards the two men with Harry slowly following behind him. On the outside he appeared to be passive and disinterested, inwardly he was rather excited to be accompanying Harry on his first capture. "Shall we-"

"Hold it!" Norman's voice caused the two to freeze as the man wore a stern expression. "Not so fast Volkner."

The blonde shot him a look. "What?"

"I believe a demonstration should be first before spreading out," The Hoenn leader said firmly. "Just so they get the gist of things."

Volkner raised an eyebrow before nodding. "Alright," Nodding and gestured towards the man, leaving it to the older man as he remained by Harry's side. Sliding his hands into his pocket watching as the older male ventured forward, subtly following the man's back as he moved around carefully.

"What are you looking at?" Sirius asked curiously as the other adult seemed focused staring up at the sky. Frowning, his eyes followed Norman's, looking at the blue trying to find exactly the man was trying to find. Only the large trees came into his view, with branches gently swaying against the wind. "Norman?"

The man held up his hand silencing Sirius, eyes focused. Slowly, he moved his hand and pointed towards a clearing. "There."

"Huh?"

Norman glanced. "C'mon, I'll show you. This way," As he lead them towards the direction pushing past the branches quietly approaching where the man was focused on, bending down as a small bird like creature stood facing rightly up towards the tree. "A Pokémon," He murmured. "Looks like my instincts haven't gotten rusty over the years."

"A Starly," Volkner murmured, eyeing the flying type.

"Might as well. Having another flyer on us wouldn't be such a bad idea, would it?" Norman stated, unclipping a Pokéball from his waist as his eyes glanced to both Harry and Sirius. "Make sure you watch what I do alright?" Before either of them could reply, the man moved upwards abruptly almost scaring the small bird out of it's wits and turned angry. "Alright, Glameow let's go!" Tossing the ball into the air to reveal the feline he had captured previously. "It's time for you to show them what we got!"

"Glam!" The cat purred taking an offensive stance.

Bagon was watching intensely from Harry's arms. "Bagon..." Not noticing his trainer's gaze before re-focusing what was going on in front of them.

"Glameow start off with Quick Attack, and follow up with Hypnosis!" Norman order swiftly, as the feline lunged into action.

Starly managed to barely dodged the attack as Glameow attempted to knock the bird off balance, slamming it's tail against the bird sending it colliding into the tree. Noting that it wasn`t moving, Glameow moved in for the final attack, purring loudly in pride as it`s eyes began to glow. The normal type placed it`s arms upon the bird`s arms, preventing it from moving and unleashed the final attack, looking gleefully down at the Starly watching it struggle to escape.

Suddenly, the Starly's beak opened letting loose a powerful cry forcing Glameow to remove the paws and cover it's ears, shivering in pain and shutting eyes tightly. Taking the advantage over the fight, Starly jumped forward straight into the cat's stomach sending it bouncing off the ground.

"St_aaaa_rly!" The bird announced roughly, flapping it's wings staring down at Glameow angrily.

"Looks like someone isn't too happy," Volkner murmured.

Harry snorted. "That's an understatement."

"Now you're fighting back," Norman said with approval at the bird. His eyes narrowed and smirk formed, slashing his arm to the side. "But we won't be giving in that easy, Glameow retaliate with your own Growl!"

The feline pushed back up, glaring at the bird before breathing in a deep breath and unleashing a similarly powerful blast of sound. Starly unleashed another Growl, pitting the two attacks up against each other and neither of them looked liked they'd be giving up any time soon. However, the exhaustion on the flying type was evident, the fatigued expression and heavy panting could be heard even from where the three had been standing. It was only a matter of time before one was forced to concede.

The Hoenn leader's eyes flashed. "It was good battling with you Starly," taking in a moment of silence before his tone and expression hardened. "Glameow, finish Starly off with Fury Swipes!"

Glameow stopped using Growl, narrowly dodging Starly's. The feline stretched arms forward watching the claws began to shine with a bright white light, Glameow purred and kicked off the ground by its hind legs increase it's speed. Spreading both arms out, the cat slashed down on the Starly, multiple times in a quick motion that was almost impossible to see.

"Pokéball!" Norman cried, unclipping an empty one from his belt and tossed it. "Go!"

The ball bounced right on top of Starly's head, turning the flying type into red light and sucked in clamping shut. Landing on to the ground with a small thump, the light in the middle began to pulse wildly making noises rocking back and forth. No one moved, waiting for something to happen. Then, without much else, another sound echoed from the Pokéball and stopped moving. Silence could be heard as Norman went over and picked it up.

"And that," He said with a grin. "Is how you capture a Pokémon. You have to battle before capturing, since that's how you earn a Pokémon's respect." Seeing Harry's and Sirius' looks, he continued. "Just keep in mind that just because you captured them doesn't mean that they'll listen to you. They are very prideful creatures, they won't hesitate to disobey a trainer even if they had spent a great deal of time under their care."

"Sound like someone I know," Harry said dryly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "And who might that be?"

"Oh... no one you know," The teen remarked innocently smiling.

His godfather rolled his eyes and ruffled Harry's hair. "Smartarse," Sirius said fondly at his godson.

"What did you think?" Norman inquired.

"It... wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Harry began slowly, ignoring his messed up hair.

Sirius grinned. "I'm actually eager try it myself!"

"I can tell," Norman said with a grin, walking over to them. "So how's about Harry and I go one way and you and Volkner can go the other way? We can meet back here in say...an hour?"

Volkner frowned. "Why do I have to go with him?"

"Well," Norman began rubbing the back of his head and looking rather sheepish. "I couldn't help notice the tension between you and Sirius. I think it would be good for the both of you to work together on this, you might even learn something from each other."

The blonde frowned at the other leader's words. Was there tension between himself and Sirius? Personally, he hadn't really been paying much attention as his focus had mainly been to getting to know Harry more and help him during his journey through Sinnoh. However, the longer that he thought about it there had been moments when Sirius would interrupt or cut in like he had done during breakfast as the man had deliberately sat in between himself and Harry. It had become evident that the man clearly did not hold him in high regard.

How Sirius noticed his attraction towards his godson? That seemed to be the most likely reason Volkner could think of. He hadn't exactly been hiding it.

_'Great. I have to deal with an overprotective father figure, just my luck._' Volkner thought to himself pinching the bridge of his nose. Telling himself that it was simply an obstacle that he needed to get through, Volkner turned towards the man. "Alright, let's go."

Sirius inclined his head. "Lead the way," ignoring the roll of eyes from the blonde as he followed behind him staring hard at the man's back.

The two vanished from sight as they went deep into the woods leaving Harry and Norman together, rather awkwardly.

"So," Norman stated, attempting to start a conversation. "Are you ready to try?"

"I think so," Harry agreed with a nod, and glanced down at Bagon. "You ready?"

The dragon beamed. "Bag! On! Bagon!"

"Looks like you have enough excitement for the both of us," Harry laughed as the dragon happily nodded at him. "Okay, I get." He kneeled down, placing Bagon onto the ground and watched the dragon closely. "Can you smell any Pokémon nearby?"

The leader mused thoughtfully. "Using a Pokémon to sniff out other Pokémon?"

"Errr..." Harry started, only to give a shrug in response. "It seemed logical to me."

Norman smiled reassuringly. "Can you explained to me why you thought that way?"

"Pokémon are animals right, so obviously they have different scents from us humans." Harry answered slowly. "To be me, some Pokémon would mark their territory thus leaving a mark, which would be a scent of sorts to ward other Pokémon away from that area." It had sounded a lot better in his head, feeling rather stupid after the words left his mouth.

"That was well thought out," Norman stated without hesitation. "And some Pokémon do leave territorial marks, not all of them mind you. But some, such as canine like Pokémon, Grass types, and lastly prideful Pokémon which can vary from type to type. The scent notion is not too shabby either."

Harry flushed. "Ummm...thank you."

"No need," The man dismissed smiling and kneeled down to pick up Glameow. "How's Bagon gotten a scent yet?"

The teen froze. "Errr..." His head whipped back to where he had placed Bagon and noticed that the small dragon had moved from the spot, having wandered forwards without warning. Without much of speaking, Harry launched after his partner leaving a bemused Norman behind him.

The leader shook his head. "Why do I have a feeling it's never going to be dull moment anymore?"

* * *

><p>Needlessly to say after looking through the woods for Pokémon having it come up completely fruitless, Volkner found himself struggling to keep himself from laughing his ass off watching as Sirius was beginning to become annoyed. With the lack of anything happening the tension that Norman had brought up was more apparent, the shortness of the man's temper and cold shoulder attitude, and the glares. He couldn't deny how laughable the situation was.<p>

He hadn't known the man long enough to form an opinion. A part of him blamed his anti-social nature and aversion to socialization outside of Flint and the rest of his colleagues, to a margin. Volkner was doing his best to interact with people better.

That didn't mean he had to tolerate everything thrown at him.

"Having fun?" Volkner commented, struggling to keep himself from enjoying the man's ire too much. As Sirius threw him a glare only for him to put on an innocent expression masking what he truly felt.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" The man accused.

Volkner snorted, eyeing him with disinterest. "Keeping telling yourself that," '_Don't smirk, don't smirk, don't smirk!' _chanting the mantra repetitively in his man. "You need to calm down. You might even capture something today."

"I don't need to calm down and I don't really care if I capture anything," Sirius rebutted eyes trained him. "I don't know you."

"...Okay." Came Volkner's confused reply.

The man's eyes turned into slits. "But you're getting to close to Harry."

_What?_

Volkner abruptly straightened his posture, and blinked rapidly at the man allowing his mind to absorb the words. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not stupid and you're not bothering to hide it either. You're attracted to my godson, aren't you?" Sirius' eyes were hard as steel, staring at him with a darkened expression that Volkner was all too familiar with because of his friendship with Flint. "Don't lie to me."

Volkner's eyes narrowed coldly at the man standing in front of and glared right back at him. "My feelings towards Harry are no one's business other than mine and his." Seeing the light angered look in the man's eyes he continued. "I'm not finished. I do like him. As in more than a friend," he admitted truthfully. "Whether he feels that same way about me, I don't know. Just being around him is enough and even if he does feel the same way. You don't have a say."

"Like hell I do," Sirius snarled at him. "There's no way in hell I'm letting Harry date you!"

"That's a choice the two of us can't make." Volkner said, his facial expression screwed him as if the words caused him a great deal of pain. "It's his choice. Not ours."

The man shook his head. "That may be true. That doesn't mean I'll simply let anyone come and sweep Harry away from me, especially if they're not worthy in my eyes." Folding his arm upon his chest and glared at the blonde. "And that especially means you."

"Then I'll have to make certain that I become worthy," Volkner retorted confidently.

Sirius was silent staring at him with an unreadable expression. "You'll be waiting a long time before you'll ever get it, boy."

"Don't underestimate me," Volkner shot back coldly. "I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of."

"I'll be looking forward to it," The man growled.

The two remained still staring back at one another with a mixture of loathing and determination as they continued on into the woods in complete silence. There was nothing more that needed to be said since the tension between them had increased with no signs of it dissipating. Wanting to get the hour over and done with Sirius searched relentlessly for a Pokémon to bring back to camp and if to prove to Norman and Harry that he was far better than Volkner.

* * *

><p>"Bagon!"<p>

Harry's voice echoed loudly, looking around fervently for the small dragon his head whipping around frantically as his body was consumed by worry and dread. Seeing a clearing he quickly rushed towards it, sharply spinning his body.

"Bagon! Where are you?"

He was staring to get worried with the lack of response starting to fear the worst and moved to continue onward until he felt weight being placed upon his shoulder almost tipping him over as he glanced to see Norman standing beside him, giving him a warm smile, as he went stiff. Harry could tell that the man barely tried to keep him in place since that was what he was trying to do finding himself unable to move from the position. The man waited for him to stop before speaking.

"Bagon is somewhere around. You need to calm down," Norman told him in a kind but firm tone.

Harry clutched his fist tightly. "I... I can't just leave him out there all by himself."

"Trust in him. He is your partner, have faith in his abilities just as he has faith in you."

The wizard stared, and blinked several times. "Wow...that was...kinda.. Corny Norman," Harry informed the man not unkindly yet looked at him dryly.

Norman shrugged. "I'm a father of a teenager girl and a ten year old. What can I say?"

"Errr... nothing?" Harry supplied, not entirely certain of how to answer the question and feeling rather small the longer the other male stared at him. It made him feel uncomfortable.

His eyes softened. "I was being rhetorical, Harry."

"Oh..." The words feel flat from his lips. "Whoops?"

"It's fine," Dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get back to finding Bagon shall we?" Norman flashed the young teen a smile, as Harry nodded hesitantly in agreement and released the boy from his hold allowing him movement. Now that he knew that Harry wouldn't wander off on his own.

Harry nodded. "Right. But where do you think Bagon went?" Stepping to the side and turning his body, looking at the directions the dragon could have gone. "He could be anywhere." Covering his face with his palm, his eyes focused on the ground staring in despair. Slowly, they widened as he kneeled down seeing the trampled grass. "These looks like foot prints, definitely not human. Do you think...?"

"There's no harm in investigating," Norman agreed. "Just remember to be careful. There are many wild Pokémon in the woods and not all of them are friendly towards trainers and their Pokémon," warning the teen seriously.

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry promised.

The two carefully followed the trail of footprints as not to awaken the possibly aggravated Pokémon that could be slumbering near them. As Norman had told him, fully-evolved Bug Pokémon were apparently the worse type to wake up since their added status as Poison types were notorious among humans alongside the dreaded Zubat. Whatever that Pokémon was. Harry made a mental note to look up more about types upon returning to civilization.

He knew that eventually the lack of knowledge of the new world that they were stuck in would cause problems, and if his luck held out a library would be located somewhere in the next city.

The sounds of bushes ruffling echoed clearly through Harry's ear. He and Norman exchanged a short glance staring at the source, heading towards it slowly keeping as quiet as possible they approached exactly where the ruffling bush was. Taking the initiative, Harry was the first to the bush peeking through it, and sighed with relief.

Bagon was on top a strange light purple Pokémon, both of which were happily laughing as they rolled around on the grass playing together. Neither of them had noticed their presence too busy having fun with the other. Their eyes brimmed under the light, oblivious to the world around them, in their own world. As they both split from each other and fell backwards onto the grass, laughing loudly and cheerfully ringing through the woods without a care.

"Should we interrupt them?" Harry murmured silently to the other man.

Norman mused thoughtfully. "I think we can wait a bit longer. I'd feel pretty bad if we did."

"Ditto." Harry shook his head, smiling underneath his bangs. "I can't believe he made it all the way here. He's certainly a fast one."

"Appearances can be very deceiving," The dark haired man stated nonchalantly.

Hearing the sounds from them, Bagon practically jumped up from the spot and darted towards Harry leaping into his arms. The dragon snuggled deep into his chest, provoking a tingling sensation that ran through him. A snicker escaped from his lips.

"Miss me?" Harry teased the dragon, letting out a chuckle upon seeing Bagon's rapid nod. "H-hey it's good to see you to. But no running off anymore, alright?" He picked the dragon up and held up to a level where their eyes could meet, struggling to hold his partner. He wouldn't say it out loud, but the small dragon was very heavy. Not that would stop him from holding him. "You gave me a scare." The dragon let out a happy shrill, Harry rolled his eyes. "Good to hear. Want to introduce us to your friend-Whoa!"

The purple Pokémon squirmed its way straight onto Harry's lap, staring up with shining red eyes peering with curiosity and awe. Now that Harry could get a clear look of the creature, he noticed the dotted pattern all over it's body and the spiky horns upon the forehead.

"So what's your name?" Harry asked curiously, placing Bagon down and focused that parked on his body.

The Pokémon perked up. "Nido!"

"Nido?" Harry repeated confused.

Norman chuckled. "Check your Pokedex, and point it at Nidoran."

Harry blinked at the man, but did what he suggested and pointed the device flipping it open. "_Nidoran_ _the poison pin Pokémon. By using it's ears out of the grass it is capable of scanning the area for threats and uses its toxic horn to protect."_

"So it's a poison type then?" Harry murmured.

Nidoran let out a tiny, happy roar.

"Looks like he likes you," Norman stated cheekily, covering his mouth with his hand hiding the chuckles that threatened to escape. Watching as the small poison type jumped completely onto Harry's lap making the boy's eyes nearly bug out. He turned his head away and began to whistle upon receiving a glare.

"A-apparently," Harry gasped. "A little warning next time, will ya?"

"Ran!"

He sighed. "Alright, I guess that means you want to come with us?" The moment those words had left his mouth Nidoran's horn poked his stomach. "O-Ow. I-I guess that's a yes?" The poison type nodded waiting for him to hold out a Pokéball, knocking its horn against it and was turned into the red light that went into the Pokéball. It had taken a few moments before the ball had stopped vibrating, as the ping sound echoed loudly. "Welcome to the team, Nidoran."

"Congratulations you caught a Nidoran!" Norman praised.

Harry stared him. "That...sounds weird."

"How so?"

"Never mind," Harry dismissed and stood up. "So should we head back to camp then?"

An explosion gained their full attention prompting the two males to head towards the direction from where it came from. It hadn't been too far from the camp site and in the general vicinity that Volkner and Sirius had gone, the possibility of the two breaking out into battle didn't seem likely then again it could just be a pair of different trainers Harry tried to reason. Norman had used Glameow to battle it out with the Starly, maybe either of them had engaged into a fight with a stronger Pokémon?

It sounded like Harry was trying to convince himself of that.

The distance between where they had been and where the area of the explosion hadn't been very far, arriving to see a completely blank-faced Volkner and angry looking Sirius. His godfather had his back to them, standing behind Chatot, whom was flying it's wings furiously waiting for the dust in front to die out. As a dark figure flashed before them coming into contact with the flying type, hitting head first into Chatot's side knocking it to the ground roughly doing an impressive backflip in the air before landing gracefully upon it's paws.

"Damn it!" Sirius cursed loudly. "Chatot!"

The bird pushed upon using it's wings. "Chat!"

"Sirius!" Harry called, as they moved towards them. "Volkner!"

The blonde flashed a tiny smile. "Hey, you made it. Capture anything?"

"That he did," Norman answered striding over towards his fellow leader, his attention focused on Sirius and the Pokémon in front of him.

It appeared to be a canine standing fiercely on it's legs glaring at Sirius, with a cocky expression. The body was red with black strips all over it and a tanned spot of fur upon it's forehead that went down to the bell and underneath to the tail, scratching the ground and growled lowly at him. Not backing down from the challenge.

Harry pulled out his Pokedex. "_Growlithe the puppy Pokémon. An extremely loyal and trustworthy Pokémon, it will protect and defend it's trainer regardless of the opponent's size and strength."_

His lips twitch, glancing at godfather. '_Just like Sirius.' _"C'mon you can do it Sirius!" He cheered the man on.

Sirius turned his head, and grinned while giving thumbs up before returning to the battle. "Chatot, Harry's watching so we can't back down you hear?" The flying type nodding firmly as he cracked a smirk. "Good to see you understand, let's finish this guy off shall we? Use Peck attack and then use Air Cutter!"

"Chat!"

The canine growled. "Grow!"

Chatot's peck began to glow pure white, expanding in size darting towards the canine without hesitation closing in it. The canine lunged forward barring it's sharp teeth, the two attacks collided together causing another small explosion throwing both Pokémon to the sides. Having been prepared, the flying type pulled back upon it's wings causing them to flash and unleashing the second attack, just at the moment when the Growlithe spit out a ball of flames cancelling the attack.

"Ember," Volkner noted. "A fire based attack."

Sirius ignored him. "Use Air Cutter again!"

"CHATOT!"

The canine growled as the second wave of the attack came. "Growlithe!" Spitting another ball of fire, cancelling the attack again only this time the flying type did not stop attacking. The fire type attempted to dodge the attack as the attack had come out faster and fast before hitting him directly, nailing him against the tree stump.

Pulling out a Pokéball, Sirius threw it immediately upon Growlithe's knock out watching as the canine had been absorbed into the ball promptly dropping onto the floor. Soon afterwards the Pokéball had stopped moving, Sirius went over to it and picked it up smirking as he did so. He held out his arm, not even blinking when Chatot had quickly perched on it. Sirius held out the ball towards the bird staring at him seriously saying nothing for several moments.

"Thank you," He said truthfully. "You did a great job Chatot."

The flying type titled it's head. "Chat?"

"Never mind, you ruined the moment." Sirius groaned, rolling his eyes mocking the flying type, and turned towards the others. "That was easy, as pie!"

"It definitely suits you," Harry said with a grin.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at his godson, and shook his head. "Did you catch anything?"

"He did indeed, a Nidoran." Norman answered his arms folded upon his chest.

"It's weird though. Nidoran and Growlithe are more sighted in the Kanto Region rather than Sinnoh," Volkner murmured stroking his chin looking deep into thought. His ever present frown appeared. "What are they doing all out here?"

"Maybe they migrated?" Harry offered and shrugged his shoulders.

Sirius titled his head. "Maybe someone decided to bring them over?"

"That's...not entirely impossible." Norman began slowly, and shook his head. "Whatever the reason is I'm sure it's nothing bad. In the mean time, we should probably head back to camp and relax for a bit before we move on to the second routine for the day."

"Second?"

Volkner and Norman exchanged a smirk, their eyes on the two. "Training."

* * *

><p>Chapter Seven-end.<p>

And so ends another chapter filled with character development, the growing tension between Volkner and Sirius, and finally some interaction with Harry and Norman not to mention three captures in one chapter! Ending it all with a cliff hanger, aren't you guys lucky?

Before anyone asks ago the Egg; it will be brought up every now and then so don't worry about it. And make sure to check out the poll on my profile as well as my other PKMHP fics!

Don't forget to review!

Sirius party:  
>Chatot<p>

Turtwig  
>Type: Grass<br>Gender: Male  
>Nature: Relaxed<br>Ability: Overgrow  
>Moves: Withdraw, Tackle.<p>

Growlithe  
>Type: Fire<br>Gender: Male  
>Nature: Rash<br>Ability: Flash Fire  
>Moves: Roar, Bite and Ember.<p>

Norman's Team  
>Glameow<p>

Starly  
>Type: FlyingNormal  
>Gender: Male<br>Nature: Brave  
>Ability: Keen Eye<br>Moves: Tackle, Growl.

Harry's team  
>Bagon<br>Egg

Nidoran  
>Type: Poison<br>Gender: Male  
>Nature: Naive<br>Ability: Poison Point  
>Moves: Leer, Peck.<p>

Volkner's Team:  
>Unknown.<p> 


	8. Jubilife City! Vs Barry!

Chapter 8:

"So this is Jubilife City."

The four had finally arrived at the next city after spending two weeks within the forest. Originally they were planning on spending just a week but Norman had insisted on them staying another week if only to help Harry and Sirius adjust a bit more to the trainer life. Not that Volkner had been entirely thrilled with the idea eventually relenting in agreement with the elder man, neither of the two knew much about the Pokémon and needed a much needed crash course in it, despite knowing the basics neither of them were particularly ready yet in his opinion. It wasn't a bad thing since it would provide the two to bond with their Pokémon, watching through the corner of his eyes seeing Bagon resting in Harry's arms and Chatot perched upon Sirius' shoulder.

Both of them seemed to have adapted easily however, that wasn't to stay that there hadn't been bumps along the way. The blonde had noted several instances where Harry had hesitated, before following through, he gave his younger friend credit as Harry was starting to get better. It made him happy to see the younger smile, coming out of his shell a bit.

Norman stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It looks a lot bigger than I first anticipated it to be."

"This is your first time?" Volkner inquired, rather surprised by this. It wasn't that rare for gym leaders outside of a region to explore it hitting the bigger cities in order to familiarize themselves in order to indulge their own curiosity, higher ranked leaders usually scout the region encase of dire situations. Though, personally, Volkner never bothered to since rarely did he ever leave Sunyshore unless it was for a convention, the annual battle between regions or something along those lines.

"Yep. Caroline...didn't like it when I went on trips outside of Petalburgh or around Hoenn," The normal gym leader answered quietly softly, his back turned to face the blonde. A hesitant pause his words brought forth an uncomfortable silence before the dark haired man grinned widely at them. "So I'm sure it will be interesting to see."

The electric leader shorted. "There's not a whole lot to see in Jublife, it's okay town though. It is the home of the Pokétch Corporation, I heard that they were making a new one. Maybe if we're lucky we could get one or get inside," the blonde started to look somewhat ecstatic now as his eyes began to flash with excitement at the idea. After all, it was rare to see how the things were made, even though Volkner was fully capable of making one himself merely he wanted to see it done by the original creators if only to satiate his curiosity.

"Your words state otherwise," Sirius informed him flatly staring pointedly.

The blond ignored him remaining in deep thought, blue eyes flashing.

"What exactly is a Pokétch ?" Harry brought up curiously carefully holding Bagon, the small dragon wiggled against his chest as his eyes were switching between him and the rest. "Is it similar to a Pokédex?"

Norman smiled. "I wouldn't exactly call that a wrong idea. It's full name is the Pokémon Watch or the Pokétch for short, from what I've heard it's rather similar to the PokeNavi that we have back in Hoenn so I don't really know much about it I'm afraid. However, I've heard many good things about it. Volkner could probably tell you more about it," Unfortunately the other leader seemed to be too deep into his own thoughts that his words went over the younger man's head. "Volkner?"

No response.

A snort came from Sirius. "Looks like he's a bit busy, isn't he?"

"He's probably thinking over things. That or he fell asleep," Harry joked, giving a small smile. It seemed whenever technology was brought up Volkner would latch himself to the subject either going on long tangents on the subject or doing what he was doing at the moment; daydreaming over it. "Volkner?"

"Hmmm?" The blond seemed to return turning his concentrated gaze upon him.

It took most of his willpower not to snort at other's expression. "Since you've your more familiar with the Pokétch mind telling us a bit more about it?"

"The Pokétch ? For once thing it's similar to a normal watch; having a clock, timer and an alarm like a usual watch. But that's not the only things that it's capable of doing, it can keep a track of your Pokémon History, link up to your Pokédex not to mention you can use it to check Berries, install a map, and tons more!" Volkner said very energetically a large grin was plastered upon his face focusing his attention mostly upon Harry. His eyes danced happily. "It can also-"

"I think that's enough Volkner, they got the gist of it." Norman stopped the blonde from continuing his tangent, placing his hand upon his shoulder to further his action. "But thank for giving us all the rundown."

The electric leader cursed himself mentally outwardly looking sheepish. Volkner prided himself on his 'man of few words' title that he had gained among the gym leaders, now it seemed that title was being tossed aside. His blue eyes flickered towards Harry.

Perhaps it was worth it.

"Sounds interesting, I wouldn't mind going to check them out once we arrive in Jubilife." Harry stated sounding very interested in the Pokétch .

Norman mused thoughtfully. "I don't see why we shouldn't go. What do you think Sirius?"

"...Fine, we can go and check it out." Sirius huffed folding his arms against his chest turning his head sharply away.

The other male didn't comment on his attitude merely smiling which did not quiet meet his eyes as he clapped his hands together. "It's a plan then. After we get to Jubilife City, though I don't think we'll do it today how about we do that tomorrow? I think the four of us deserve at least a day of rest."

"And we need to get to the Pokémon Centre too," Harry brought up. "I want to make sure that Bagon and Nidoran are taken care of."

"Not to mention grabbing a room before they fill up," Volkner added with a frown, rolling his shoulders. "As much as I like the Centre's couches, I'd much rather sleep on a mattress thank you very much."

Sirius frowned at him. "Don't complain brat."

"Now, now you two let's just get into town first?" Norman suggested stepping in between the two males. The glares hadn't gone unnoticed and as amusing the entire scenario was they needed to get into the city if only for their Pokémon 's sake.

Volkner grunted marching forward elbowing the older male along the way.

The rest of the walk towards the city had been in complete and total silence due to the uncomfortably air that settled around the group, forcing a chance in dynamics having Volkner and Norman at the front while the other two were in the back. It seemed that eevery five seconds Harry and Norman echanged glances of bemusement and relief as neither of the other two acted out. Not that Harry seemed to notice in any case however, the normal leader was able to tell that the younger was able to sense some animosity between the other two. Only he hadn't realized why.

To be young again.

They quickly arrived at the Pokémon Centre heading straight for the counter as Nurse Joy had appeared smiling at them.

"Nurse Joy? What are you doing here?" Harry was the first one to ask blinking rapidly at the pinkette's appearance. "I thought you lived at Sunyshore City?"

The woman stared for several moments before realization hit her. "Oh! That's my sister that you meant," She gave him a very gentle smile and her eyes softened, standing from her chair beaming rather happily at them her eyes focusing upon Volkner. "Volkner we've been waiting for you."

The blonde hadn't reacted immediately to Nurse Joy's words. "Me?"

"Yep!" Her cheerful disposition nearly blinded him as she continued to smile her shining white teeth at him. "One moment, I'll ring them up." Reaching over to the side and pressed a button. "He's here right here at the counter. Alright, thank you!" The pinkette returned her attention towards them the smile remained plastered upon her face. "They'll be here in just a moment. In the mean time I'll heal your Pokémon ," pulling out trays from below watching as the four placed their Pokéballs onto them before Nurse Joy and a giant pink Pokémon appeared.

Harry blinked staring at it for several moments taking out his Pokédex, pointing it towards the Pokémon . _"Chansey the Egg Pokémon . It is the evolved form of Happiny, this kind Pokémon uses it's nutritious eggs to help the injured."_

"So basically it's Nurse Joy in Pokémon form?" Sirius stated with a smirk on his face and winked at woman, whom giggled in response.

Norman frowned.

However, Harry wasn't done yet. "Can you show me Happiny?" The image of Chansey changed showing a miniature-like version except with several differences such as the height and the girly appearance that it had along with the ponytail like hairstyle and 'skirt'. The feeling of happiness emitted from the image rather strongly, it definitely ran in the family.

_"Happiny, the playhouse Pokémon . This happy Pokémon loves carrying white things, occasionally giving it to people it likes."_

"Sounds rather friendly," Harry commented with a grin pocketing the Pokédex, looking at the Chansey. "You guys sure are a friendly bunch!"

"Chansey!" Shrilling happily waving it's tiny arms about.

Nurse Joy giggled once more. "It seems like Chansey is grateful for the comment, Harry. So thank you! Anyway, we'll be back in several moments so please just hang around here in the mean time okay?" She gave them a bright smile before disappearing into the back leaving the four males standing at the desk.

Volkner was the first to head over towards the couch plopping straight onto the seat in a lazy fashion staring up at the ceiling. "Oh how I missed furniture!"

"Oh stop being so dramatic, brat." Sirius snarled at him taking the seat beside him, arms folded upon his chest glaring at the blonde.

Volkner glared back. "I'm not being dramatic."

"Could have fooled me," retorted Sirius scathingly.

"I wonder whose waiting for you," Norman cut in quickly before a fight could ensure taking the other seat beside Sirius. "Are you meeting up with someone here?"

"Not that I'm aware of no." The frown on the blonde's face spoke volumes pressing his back against the couch, eyes narrowed into thoughtful slits. Just whom was waiting for him here? As far as he was aware no one knew that he had left his gym which Volkner preferred to say for the time being. The need to get away from the gym and his hometown was simply too much of a craving that was undeniable, despite his initial protest at the beginning the leader had been thankfully to have been able to.

It had been far too long since he had experienced the great outdoors. The camping, the cold nights and the camp fires and all the fun that came with it, Volkner missed all of it. Not that he would ever admit it openly of course.

His prided refused to.

"Yo!"

The ringing of a familiar voice rang through all of their ears snapping towards the source and there standing before them was Flint.

"It's been awhile! Have you guys been?" The afro elite asked slipping his hands into his pockets, his posture relaxed into a more comfortable stance eyeing them cheerfully approaching the four of them as the bouncing energy emitting from the other was struggling to be contained. "I was wondering when you guys were going to get here, I got a bit worried so ended up deciding to hang around here until you guys showed up. Smart right?" The redhead began to stroke his chin looking rather thoughtful. "Then again it's only been a day since I got here so it hasn't been that long-"

"Flint. What the hell are you even here to begin with?" Volkner hissed glaring at his friend. "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of my GYM?!"

The elite waved his hand dismissively. "Hey I came here for a reason man, chill out."

"I find that difficult to believe." Volkner retorted, the glare remained fully force.

Flint didn't comment. Instead he leaned forward staring at the blonde intently with an unreadable expression. "Say Volkner, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Forgetting something?" The hell was Flint talking about?

"Idiot." Came the remark and the dry stare. Before he was even able to rebuke the comment Flint turned to the side, lazily. "You can come out now."Not a moment later a certain electric rat appeared from behind the couch staring deeply into the blue pools.

Volkner stared openly. "R-Raichu? I thought you wanted to stay at the gym?!"

"Ra_aaaa_i..."

"He missed you, you idiot." Flint stated flatly folding his arms against his chest. "Not surprising since you guys have been together since you were just kids. I knew you'd guys would reach Jubilife sooner or later, and decided '_hey why not wait for them?_' Still. Can't believe I timed everything right, my instincts must be getting better!"

Volkner was busy kneeling down to his partner's level murmuring reassuring words allowing himself to briefly glance at his friend. "How did you get here anyway? Last time I checked your Driftblim was back at the Pokémon League."

"Hmm? Oh I caught a ride with a friend." Flint answered brightly, giving a large grin.

"Aaron?"

"Nope."

"...Lucian?"

Flint gave him a look.

"What? I thought you elites were all buddy-buddy."

"Don't get me wrong, I like Lucian and all. But...I happen to value my life especially when it comes between him and his books."

An eyebrow was raised. "...Point. I guess."

"Aaron and Lucian are a part of the Elite Four right?" Harry asked cutting into the conversation, ending up blushing upon receiving the stares from everyone. He was trying to keep up with everything plus Flint was a part of the Elite Four so it made since in his mind that Lucian and Aaron were probably fellow members.

A soft chuckle came. "That's right. Aaron and Lucian are of the Sinnoh Elite Four." A tall man with silver hair drapped in a black suit with amber eyes appeared from behind Flint's couch smiling rather gentle towards him, as he gave a wave. "Hello everyone."

"So you're the one that gave Flint a ride. I thought you were too busy with work to bother us common folk, Stone." Volkner stated nonchalantly at the man. There was no malice within his tone mere curiosity coated with dryness. It was strange to see the former champion of Hoenn outside of his home let alone in Sinnoh region, there had been rumors of the other man having a villa of sorts somewhere in the region no one was able to prove it true.

The man shrugged the smile stay on his face. "It was convenient and I've finished my work for the day. I was curious about the new trainer," His eyes flickered towards Harry before sending the smaller boy a pleasant smile making his way over towards him. "Flint has told me quite a bit about you."

"Good things, I hope." Harry commented.

"Nothing but the best I assure you." The man reassured, holding out his hand. "My name's Steven, Steven Stone."

Taking the hand and shaking it firmly, Harry inclined his head politely. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Stone name's Harry, Harry Potter."

"Please call me Steven." Steven requested, staring into his eyes. "You know...you remind me of someone that I know."

"Oh?" That piqued Harry's interest. Who did he remind Steven of?

The smile on Steven's face became different, beginning to leer over the younger boy. "Oh yes. Very much so-"

"AHEM!" Sirius coughed loudly his eyes locked onto the other giving him the same glare that Volkner had received many a time. He wasn't too fond of men getting too close to his godson, especially if they had smiles like that!

"I apologize it seems I forgot where my manners are." Steven remarked apologetically, smiling sheepishly. "As I said my name is Steven Stone, it's a pleasure to meet you...?"

Sirius stared at him for several moments remaining silent. "Black. Sirius Black."

"Mr. Black," Steven settled on nodding.

"Just Sirius preferably, Mr. Black was and will always be my father as far as I'm concerned." Sirius stated flatly, suppressing a shudder that crept up his back. Unwanted memories surfaced briefly before vanishing the moment that they had appeared. Good riddance in his opinion. He despised his family and everything that they had stood for particularly his mother of all, the old hag.

Steven nodded, his amber eyes flashed for a moment as they wandered over towards Norman. "We've met before I believe?"

"Yes." Norman gave a nod of acknowledgement. "As Volkner said I'm a bit surprised to see you out here, Steven. I thought Devon Corporation took up most of your time?"

"Business negotiations," Steven grimaced dropping onto the free chair, slouching. "Today and tomorrow will be the first days off I've had in ages."

Norman chuckled. "In that case I hope that you'll use that time appropriately, you do deserve it Steven with all that work you've done."

"Don't worry I will." Steven replied his eyes flickered towards Harry and smirked.

The feeling of his blood starting to boil surged from within Volkner developing an eye twitch the longer Steven focused his attention on to Harry, appearing to look calm on the outside inwardly he was seething at the open display that the other male was presenting. Just what the hell did that bastard thinking he was doing?! His eyes remained firmly upon the other male, watching his movements closely feeling his irritation rise upon how focused Harry was on the silvered man. However, he reminded himself that was simply how Harry was. Ever so polite and well mannered that the younger would never be as rude as to turn someone away, especially someone he had just met.

That thought alone was helping him from going over there and tearing Steven away from Harry.

"Is this your first time in Jubilife City?" Steven questioned, smiling rather indulgently at the younger male eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"This is my first time in the Sinnoh region-Sirius and I aren't originally from here we come from the west actually." Harry stated smoothly, which wasn't entirely true either as back home in their world they had originated from the west. A mixture of a truth and half-truth wasn't exactly a lie, not that Steven needed to know. "Volkner was kind enough to join us on our travels through Sinnoh," Sending a bright smile towards the blonde male. "Without him and Norman I'm certain that Sirius and I would have gotten lost."

Volkner felt his cheeks burn at the praise that had been thrust upon his shoulders. Oddly to discover he was rather giddy at how highly Harry held up, as his body swelled up with pride.

The silver-haired man cocked an eyebrow leaning forward. "Is that so? In that case perhaps if you ever travel to Sinnoh maybe I could be of some assistance? If I'm not busy that it. Though now that I'm thinking about it I do believe I have saved up enough sick time to take off," His smile widened. "Or instead I could show you around the city?"

It was at that moment when something deep inside of Volkner snapped causing the blond to leap up from his seat glaring angrily.

"I'M taking Harry around the city. THANK YOU very much, Steven." The electric leader hissed coldly, gritting his teeth together trying to curb the rising anger that threatened to overwhelm from within. It was strange for him to allow his emotions to control him like they were doing now, but frankly Volkner couldn't find it in himself to even give a damn. "Now if you'll excuse us Steven I was about to take Harry out," not even giving the boy a chance to protest. "Let's go."

Harry bewildered out of his sense simply nodded, following the blond but, not before giving Steven an nod of acknowledgement. "I guess we'll talk later. See you guys in a bit," He said giving a wave towards the four before jogging towards the counter of the Pokémon Centre, as Nurse Joy was about to call them over.

"Talk about impeccable timing," Flint commented cheerfully.

Sirius growled. "I don't like the idea of Harry being alone with him!"

"Volkner would never hurt Harry, Sirius. Besides I think it's a good idea for them to have some time away from us." Norman attempted to pacify the other male gently, wearing a charming smile. "They're only young once." He gave him a pointed stare. "And Volkner does know his way around the city, Sirius."

"Doesn't mean I have to necessarily have to like it." Sirius countered, frowning.

Norman smirked. "Never said that you had to," The response was cheeky he was aware, but it was just too good of an opening to give up.

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius stuck out his tongue at him.

"Oh very mature, Sirius."

"I'd like to think so, yes."

"In that case if you're going to stick out your tongue then you should put it to use then."

Sirius smirked. "Oh? Got any ideas then?"

"I can think of a few yes," Norman retorted, mimicking the smirk on the other's face leaning forward. "Would you like to see?"

"Hmmm tell me more and I'll consider it."

"Don't tempt me."

Flint rolled his eyes staring at them. "A_nnnnnn_d the flirting continues should we leave them be Steven?"

"What? Can't handle two guys flirting with each other Flint?" Sirius mocked the afro-haired male grinning at him. "Did I misjudge you?"

The elite snorted. "Nah, I just don't want to get in between you and Norman's little lovey-dovey time-"

"LOVEY-DOVEY TIME?!"

"I believe that's our cue to leave, Flint. It was a pleasure seeing the two of you, bye!" Steven quickly grabbed the waving redhead away by his collar with much haste.

Sirius shook his head watching as the two younger men faded from sight, rolling his eyes. "Lovely-dovey time? What rubbish." He scoffed wrinkling his nose, despite the strange tingle that ran through his spine at the idea.

"You think so?" Norman asked quietly staring into his eyes.

"Don't you?" Sirius returned the question, pressing his lips together tightly."I'm not exactly...dating material, mate. You could do better than going out with a bloke like me."

The gym leader didn't answer immediately masking himself with an unreadable expression that vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. "How about we find that out then?" Norman challenged, arms against his chest cocking an eyebrow at him. "You and me. Dinner. Tonight."

"W...what?"

"You. Me. Dinner. Tonight. Yes or no?"

Sirius blinked rapidly. "A... are you asking me out on a date?"

"I thought that was obvious. Am I speaking too fast?" The teasing tone hadn't gone over Sirius' head.

The wizard hesitated. "...I don't have anything to wear. Anything fancy anyway."

"That doesn't matter. Not to me." Norman reassured gently placing his hand on top of Sirius's.

Sirius swallowed upon feeling the other man's hand staring for several moments. This... this was different from what he had anticipated, from what he was use to. Back in the day Sirius had been the one asking people for dates not that other way around! But, that had been back then and this was the present. He hadn't been on a proper date in years, almost like a long forgotten dream. He had no idea what to do for dates anymore anyway, the mere fact that Norman took the initiative to asking him out-while surprising-he had been glad for it. The leader had been so kind and patient with him upon his arrival into this new world, it seemed appropriate that it had been him that asked Sirius out.

Gathering that was within him Sirius nodded slowly.

"I-I'll...yes. I'll go to dinner with you."

The smile that had appeared on Norman's face was enough to convince him that he had made the right choice.

* * *

><p>"So this is the Trainer school?"<p>

The building wasn't as big as the ones back in Harry's world had been, appearing to be a moderate size compared to most buildings that were around the area. It had a very school like feeling having posters displayed upon the doors, and looked rather friendly.

"We're you expecting something more?" Volkner teased draping an arm around his shoulder smirking at him. His eyes narrowed noticing the rigidness that had appeared, but reframed from saying anything. "There's usually one trainer school in each town. All trainer schools are differently sized depending on the town. The one back at Sunyshore is one of the larger ones due to the fact it's a porting town. I haven't been there in years though."

Harry flushed at the explanation. "I guess I'm use to seeing bigger schools," Carefully omitting the fact that his old school use to be a giant castle, there was no need for Volkner to know about it anyway. "Are we even allowed to go inside? I mean aren't we trespassing?"

"Trainers, gym leaders, elites and champions are always welcomed at Trainer schools." Volkner reassured him. "Besides, one of my...colleagues is a teacher at a trainer school. If worse comes to worse I'll contact her to clear things up." '_Plus Candice owes me big time,_' He added mentally giving a low chuckle. "Shall we go then?" gently began guiding him towards the school, entering without much of a hitch. The place had a nice welcoming feel, it almost felt like he was back in school again.

"Do we just...walk around?" Harry inquired, hesitating at what they could do.

The blond shrugged. "Don't see why not. Not like we have anything better to do."

"Says you," Harry countered dryly.

He sent him a questioning stare.

"Okay. You have a point but didn't you want to check out the Pokétch Company or whatever?"

"I did." The reply was flat. "I changed my mind."

The farther away from Steven the better in his opinion, even if it meant giving up seeing the newest Pokétch as painful as it was. For the time being anyways, at least until Steven went back to Hoenn where he belonged, maybe he could go get one then.

"Should we ask for help or something? Because I have no idea where we're going," Harry said glancing at the walls noticing the posters upon the billboards as they continued walking through the school, as there was no one around. Either everyone was in class or somewhere else. Regardless, he wasn't entirely to keen on barging in on a lesson. It wasn't fair to those that were learning how to be trainers. Despite what Volkner saying it was fine there was still some doubt that remained, or maybe it was the stirring of old memories that was truly bothering him. He didn't really know. The past was the past that much he accepted allowing himself to let go in order to live this new life that he had been granted.

Even still some memories you don't just get over.

"Maybe. As long as we don't go towards the co-ordinator wing," The blond shuddered violently as his face formed into one of disgust. "I hate contests."

"So you've told me." Harry murmured under his breath. Not that he could blame the older male from what he had heard about contests it was less then pleasing, personally the idea of parading his Pokémon around like that disgusted him. Battles on the other hand, he wasn't certain of due to his lack of experience in that area and held it on the same level of contests in the beginning before he witnessing some battles between Volkner and Norman when they were camping. His opinion had changed over time upon realizing how much their Pokémon had enjoyed it, they were practically in synch with their trainers enjoying the thrill of the battle.

"Rai rai!"

"Right," Volkner chuckled nodding at his partner.

Harry blinked. He had almost forgotten that the electric type was with them. Almost all of his Pokémon were currently one him bar the egg which had been left in Nurse Joy's possession for the time being. He didn't want risk damaging it.

"I'm hoping we'll find the trainer wing and putting your skills to the test," Volkner stated not bothering to sugar-coat his words, making a quick glance at him. "I don't think you're at the level where you're ready to face me in a battle yet."

"Gee thanks."

The blond rolled his eyes. "It's the truth no matter how you look at it, Harry. I can help sharpen your Pokémon 's skills but besides that battling me would be outright suicide for them," He said seriously.

"I know," Harry sighed shaking his head idly placing his hands into his pockets. "I know, and thanks for helping with that." Just camping and getting an general basics of the Pokémon world hadn't been the only things that they had been doing, both of the leaders had began to teach Sirius and Harry how to battle. They managed to get some decent training pass as beginning trainer's at least, but getting some good experience was difficult which was why Volkner decided to bring him here.

What better way to get experience than to battle real trainers?

He was rather curious at how much Harry had improved during their training.

"No problem," Volkner grinned widely ruffling the younger boy's hair thoroughly enjoying the pout that appeared on Harry's face. It was just too cute for words. "Ah," in front of them was a door that had 'TRAINER CLASS' on the centre. "Looks like we've found it," Leaning forward to opening the door-

WHAM!

Suddenly without any warning the doors flung open nearly causing Volkner to stumble backwards before finding himself falling flat onto his behind.

"Urgh...what hit me-"

Before even finishing a sentence blur of orange appeared pointing straight at Volkner. "Why don't you watch were your going buddy! In fact I should fine you for knocking into me!" A boy wearing an orange and white shirt with blonde hair declared loudly glaring at the leader.

That set off Volkner. "Excuse ME? You little brat, if anyone should be looking where they're going its YOU!"

"An ADULT should be more responsible!" The younger blonde shouted at him.

"Are you calling me irresponsible?"

"Damn right I am!"

"Listen brat, perhaps you need to be taught some manners." Volkner hissed glaring angrily at the boy before him, trying to act maturely. There was no needed to get annoyed at this type of thing, the brat was just being a loudmouth idiot like Flint. He could handle this easy. Getting up from the floor regaining his composure, his electric eyes zeroes in on the boy's face. "What's your name brat?"

The blonde blinked before smirking. "Name's Barry! And I'm going to be the next champion of Sinnoh!"

"Next champion? I doubt it kid." Volkner remarked with disinterest, eyeing the boy. "No offense, but your definitely not champion material."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Barry roared angrily taken aback by Volkner's words as his eyes narrowed. "Speaking of what you never introduced yourself anyway, what's your name?"

Harry sighed. "Why do I have a feeling this isn't going to end well?"

"And who are you for that matter?" Barry appeared in front of him close enough to make Harry feel very comfortable.

"Errr Harry, nice to meet you?"

The younger blonde grinned. "Barry, nice to meet ya! You travelling with this idiot?" Pointing towards the leader, whose eyes twitched irritable at the insult.

"...Volkner isn't an idiot, Barry." Gaze darkened and words firm. "And yes we're traveling together."

"Whoa sorry no need to get defensive!" Barry held up his hands in defense before freezing in place. After a few moments his face turned to completely horror. "W-wait Volkner? As in Sunyshore's Volkner? The Shining Star?! THAT VOLKNER?!"

A cold smile appeared on the leader's face staring at the smaller blonde. "Yes. That's me. Got anything else to say brat?"

"...Eep..."

"Be nice Volkner," Harry murmured quietly towards his friend keeping his eyes trained on Barry, as a bemused smile slide on his face. "Or at least try to go easy on him, okay?"

The blonde pouted. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," came the instant reply.

"Fine, fine ruin all of my fun." Volkner mocked teasingly, returning his attention on Barry as he paused for several moments stroking his chin slowly. "Brat you're a trainer, right?"

Barry swallowed, still remaining in the same spot. "Y-Yes s-sir..." Obviously the poor kid was petrified at what Volkner was going to do to him. The look of completely horror was enough to give the older blond a bit of a jolt of satisfaction. "P-please don't take away my trainer licence! I've been waiting my entirely lifeto get one! I'll do anything, Mr. Volkner, ANYTHING!"

"I'm not going to take away your licence, brat and don't call me mister. Just Volkner," Did he used to be so dramatic during that age? Surely not. "I just have a request. I want you to battle him," Waving his hand towards Harry's direction and ignoring the shocked look on the younger's face. "I'm going to assume that you've already been in a trainer battle before, right? I want you to be his first. Giving him some real experience," It was time to hit the final nail. "Unless of course you're scared?"

"Of course I'm not scared!" Barry snapped back to reality making the first move shifting towards Harry. "Alright let's battle-"

"Not in the halls you aren't," A strict female voice spoke up as a young woman had appeared from behind Barry. Her pensive expression reminded Harry quickly of McGonagall whenever she was cross. "We have a battle field just outside of the school just in the back. You may use it-"

Volkner nodded. "Thanks-"

"I never said it would be for free." The woman cut him off eyes narrowed at him. "In exchange I would like you to give a lecture upon electric Pokémon . Do we have a deal?"

"That's a fair compromise," The leader agreed with a stiff nod. "Do you want the lecture to be today or tomorrow? Miss...?"

"Whenever preferably sooner rather than later as we are currently covering types this week." The woman stated, turning sharply glancing back at him. "My name is Aria. Now that we have gotten introductions out of the way I shall lead you to the battle field. Right this way."

The three exchanged a look before following after the woman straight towards the battle field that was outside seeing six fields; three on one side and the three on the other side. Everything looked polished and ready to be used.

"Alright, both of you take your positions. I will act as the referee for this battle," Aria stated standing into the sideline box glancing at the two teens. "Both of you choice a side and stand within one of the boxes, I'm assuming that this will be a one versus one match?"

"Errr...one versus one is fine with me," Harry stated pressing his lips together.

Barry's grin had a sharp edge. "That's fine with me! I'm ready to go when you are!"

"I'm ready," Harry nodded at him taking the position on the right side as the blonde took the position on the left side, unclipping a Pokéball from his belt. "Alright, let's go Bagon!" Tossing the ball straight into the air watching the light emerged upon opening to reveal the small blue dragon.

"Bagon!"

"I-Is that a dragon-type?!" Barry exclaimed in shock staring at Bagon widened, letting out a long whistle. "That's impressive, but it's going to take more than that to be me! Let's go Piplup!" His Pokéball revealed a small blue penguin, standing tall and proud once appearing from the ball. "Alright Piplup let's show them what we're capable of! Take no prisoners!"

"Pip!"

Harry frowned pulling out his Pokédex. "A Piplup, huh?"

"_Piplup the penguin Pokémon . It is well known for being proud and is does not like being taken careful making it difficult for trainers to bond with them. Piplup's are also known for being excellent swimmers as they are able to dive for 10 minutes in order to hunt."_

"Good to know," He remarked placing the Pokédex back into his pocket.

Aria coughed slashing her arm to the side. "This battle will be one on one! The one left standing shall be declared the winner, begin!"

"I'll go first! Piplup attack with _Growl_ and follow up with a _Pound_!" Barry ordered instantly, getting right into it.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "In that case Bagon I want you to counter with _Dragon Rage _and _Zen Headbutt!_"

Piplup was the first to lunge forward letting out a powerful burst of sound from the peck towards Bagon, whom unleashed his own attack with success. The two attacks clashed together pushing against the other before dispelling nearly flinging both of the Pokémon to the side, but managed to keep their ground. Bagon leaped forward flashing brightly covering his body by the light slamming his head straight into the small water-type's side sending it back a few feet.

"PIPLUP NO!" Barry cried in horror, gritting his teeth and punched forward. "USE WATER SPORT!"

The penguin hissed throwing it's head up unleashing a giant flurry of water around the field spreading everywhere. Unfortunately, Bagon got curious ending up staring up at the sky watching the water falling from the sky and became blinded forcing the dragon-type to shut it's eyes tightly. The howl of pain echoed through the field giving Piplup an opening lunging forward and slammed on top of Bagon.

Harry stared frozen in place. Damn it what the hell was he supposed to do?! His eyes remained on his partner watching as Piplup repeated the attack on Bagon, forcing him to tear away for a moment before snapping his head back. "Bagon use Hidden Power!"

Those words caused the dragon's eyes to snap open radiating power from inside channeling it vibrantly before unleashing it upon an unsuspecting Piplup. The penguin rolled along the ground, hissing in pain being taken by surprise by the attack but managed to get back up again even panting rather heavily. Obviously it refused to go down that easily, staring steadily at Bagon letting out a growl. A stare down developed between them slowly beginning to circle the other.

Neither Barry nor Harry said anything at all keeping focused on their Pokémon . They didn't trust themselves to give out commands, not yet. Tensions rose the longer the silence remained feeling almost like an eternity, the stand still continued.

"PIPLUP!"

"BAGON!"

"PECK!"

"TACKLE!"

"NOW!" Both of them shouted in unison as their Pokémon once again lunged towards each other, intending to carry out their attacks. Piplup's peck grew twice in size glowing brightly under the rays of the sun while Bagon dashed with ferocious speed at his opponent colliding together, both hitting their respected targets and landed on the ground easily. As another strain of suspense appeared, fortunately, it hadn't lasted long like the other as Piplup and Bagon both fainted onto the ground.

It was a draw.

"Piplup and Bagon are down for the count. This battle ends in a draw!" Aria announced loudly holding out both of her arms head snapping towards both trainers, a tight frown appeared on her face.

Barry was not happy, and began to stomp his feet irritably. "Aw man, a draw? Seriously?"

Harry on the other hand didn't care, making his way towards Bagon and gently scooped him into his arms, smiling very softly at him, unclipping the Pokéball from his belt, his eyes gaze reassuringly staring into the sharp eyes of his partner. "You did great, Bagon. I'm proud of you," He whispered to him. "Now go take a nice long rest okay? You deserve it," Chuckling at the happy expression that appeared on Bagon before he returned to his Pokéball, turning to witness Barry do the same. "Good battle Barry thanks," Holding out his hand out at him.

"Heh," Barry grinned taking the hand and shaking it. "It was good, wasn't it? But don't think that next time will end the same way," A cocky smirk appeared. "Next time Piplup and I are definitely going to win!"

Harry laughed. "I'm looking forward to it!"

It wasn't long until Barry had bid his farewell running energetically and bid them a farewell disappearing from sight, leaving Harry and Volkner alone with Aria whom wanted the leader to keep to his end of the bargain before returning to her duties leaving the two of them alone, deciding to return to the Pokémon Centre.

"You did well, for a first battle." Volkner murmured to him giving him a tiny smile.

Harry flushed. "You think so?"

"Definitely," The leader nodded vigorously, the smile widens gentle. "You still have a long way to go-but today was a great start."

The blush on his face grew even hotter at the praise, finding himself smiling sheepishly back at the older male. "Thanks Volkner that means a lot to me," Harry told him honestly. "There's still a lot that I think I need to improve on-"

"That's the life of a trainer. Always improving out skills for battle, it's never ending." Volkner began wearing a serious expression. "That's why you have to go out there and see the world, battle and meet different trainers, and bonding with your Pokémon . The deeper the bond, the closer and strong you become. That's what I believe," Sliding his hands into his pockets.

"It's a good philosophy, I agree with it."

Volkner blinked several times, letting out a snort afterwards. "Glad to hear it, Harry." Reaching forward and began to ruffle the younger boy's hair before dashing forward, throwing a large grin at the other boy. "First one back at the Pokémon Centre has to buy the food!"

"Oh you are SO on!"

The sounds of laughter rang through the city. 

* * *

><p>Chapter 8-end.<p>

I hope that this chapter was enjoyable for everyone! Growing tension, the re-appearance of Flint and Raichu along with the debut of Steven and Barry, along with a battle AND Norman making a move onto Sirius all in one. Unfortunately, I'm not really good with battle scenes but I hope to get better as this fic goes on though if anyone has any tips or tricks about writing battle/fighting scenes that would help me immensly!

Any make sure to leave in your review: What you liked, what you didn't like and could be improved upon and where you think this fic is going!

Once again I'd like to thank my lovely beta artic_uno_13 for doing a lovely job as always.

Volkner's Party:  
>Raichu<br>Type: Electric  
>Gender: Male<br>Nature: Bashful  
>Moves: Focus Blast, Brick Break, Charge, Grass Knot, Charge Beam, Thunder Wave<p>

Others unknown


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Thank you for taking me out to dinner, Norman." Sirius said with a smile walking down the street at night. The leader had taken him to a rather posh restaurant that had been located several blocks away from the Pokemon Centre. Not too far away and not to close either allowing them both to have some space to themselves.

Norman smiled. "It's the least I could do, Sirius. I was ugh...kind a worried that you wouldn't like the food," As he hesitated for a brief moment. "And that you wouldn't accept my offer."

"The food was fine – better then fine even. Though I don't think it was quite at Harry's level," Sirius barked a laugh returning the smile full force, his brows furrowing afterwards staring directly at him. "Why wouldn't I have accepted? It's been awhile since I had been taken out like this. So thanks for asking me," Sliding his hands into his pants as his smile returned brightly at the man. "It's been a very wonderful night," Sirius said inclining his head.

Truth be told Norman had second thoughts about asking Sirius out, pondering if he had been moving too fast in attempts to get over his ex-wife, but once they had arrived to the restaurant he had never been happier. Everything had gone very smoothly, much to his delight and relief as worried whether the other would like place he had picked. Norman had briefly forgotten how much of a glutton Sirius was, as the man practically swallowed everything like a vacuum without restraint; it was quite funny to watch though Sirius was not without his manners. The rest of the night had been spent with them talking and trading stories of themselves, families and even their kids.

It was refreshing being able to do this with another person – especially someone that he genuinely cared for. Back in the day, dates and going out to dinner had been one of Caroline's demands, the conversations they had were hardly ever focused upon themselves, usually being about some materialistic thing that she desired or a large bit of gossip she had heard when she had been out on the town. Since he was a dutiful husband, Norman had listened to every word she had to say, despite that he didn't really believe anything that was coming from her mouth, she had been his wife then. It wasn't in him to rebuke someone no matter how pointless the conversation appeared to be, he always listened. No matter how strange, how weird, or how gross the conversation was. Listening was what he did best.

When Sirius had accepted his offer to dinner everything beneath him felt like clouds. No words could express how happy he felt at that moment. Some of the thanks belonged to Flint, if the redhead hadn't teased them he wouldn't have summoned up the courage to ask.

Norman made a mental note to thank the Elite once they meet up again.

"Perhaps we could do this again sometime," The leader suggestion, his body shifted awkwardly with a nervous smile.

Sirius blinked in surprise. "Are you...asking me out? Like a date?" After a moment of silence between them that passed between them. "Another date?"

"Yes."

The longer-haired male didn't react immediately in fact appearing rather hesitant, his lips curled up biting it down. "If...if we do this Norman, we'll have to keep it between the two of us." His tone was serious, grey eyes narrowed. "I don't know how well Harry would take us dating," He clarified further.

Norman nodded sharply getting exactly what Sirius was trying to say, as a father he understood the gravity of the situation and how well it could possibly affect their children. His own were far too young to grasp that not every marriage worked out, he wasn't sure how well they'd take to him being with someone else. Let alone another man. Keeping their relationship silent was probably the safest option for them both until they were ready to talk them about it, that is, if his and Sirius' relationship reached that point.

It would remain a secret for now.

* * *

><p>They ended up staying in Jubilife for a month. It allowed Harry and Sirius to explore the city more and see normal, everyday life in the new world that they had found themselves in. From participating in battles to watching them, becoming more involved with the trainer lifestyle they had even gone with Volkner and Norman to check out certain events had been held in the city. While they didn't really jump into it like some others had at least the two had gotten the chance for themselves to experience it and maybe try it out in the future, whenever that day may be. In the mean time exploring Jubilife and training was their main focus.<p>

Though Volkner had stayed true to his word and returned the trainer school like had promised giving a lecture about Electric Pokemon, needless to say the blonde had once again created a following, mostly containing the younger students . Not that leader had objected. As cold and distant Volkner appeared to be underneath he held a soft spot for kids which had appeared as he helped them with their homework, explaining in a dutifully and even played with them when recess had come about laughing and smiling with them. It seemed almost completely unlike the blonde, but Harry had suspected for sometime there was a giant softie inside of him as one of the kids managed to con him into playing with them.

Not that he was going to argue with them finding himself being a giant sucker for the kids as Volkner was.

Of course one of the following things that they had also done was check out and get their own Poketchs which they had managed to get for free...kind of. A campaign event was held throughout the city in order to promote the new product and causing many citizens; non-trainer and trainer alike to explore and seek out the three Quiz clowns that were scattered all through Jubilife, each of them asking specific list of questions and a Pokemon battle.

Volkner had been adamant in checking it out convincing the three to join him on his quest in finding the Quiz clown trio. Not that Sirius wanted to do eventually giving in once Norman had pointed out that they had nothing better to do anyway and set off to look for them. Splitting into groups of two; Sirius and Harry as one and Norman and Volkner as the other, mainly due to Sirius vehemently refusing to leave his godson in the eight leader's presence for any longer than necessary being stubborn. It had take much arguing between the two before Volkner had relented placing himself into a group with Norman heading off in the opposite direction opposed to the other two quickly finding two of the tickets; which had been found over by the Pokemon Centre and headed straight for the next one, determined not to lose while Sirius and Harry found the location of another by the company's tower.

In the end both groups had gotten the necessary tickets in all three locations before returning to the event place in which the winners were granted free Poktech's from the President himself. There had been seven colors in total and were handed out to each of them. Volkner had received the standard blue version as had Sirius with the red one, leaving Harry and Norman with a black and green while the final three were given purple, yellow and orange respectably.

Thankfully neither Harry or Volkner had noticed just how close Norman and Sirius had gotten during the month secretly seeking out every so often during the night to spend time with one another, sometimes going on dates and others were spent merely wanting to be with each other in private. They considered them lucky that they hadn't been caught yet as Harry was oblivious and Volkner preferred to ignore Sirius the majority of the time as it was thus working in their favour allowing the two to continue their nightly escapades.

Though Sirius nor Norman were entirely ready to escalate their relationship a step further beyond what it already was and they were both comfortable with that. They wanted to take this... relationship that they had together slowly.

The same could not be said for Volkner, whom had felt threatened by Steven's appearance and now had practically attached himself to Harry's hip. Becoming more touchy feely around new trainer, draping his arms around him and giving one armed hugs, of course no one had seen it as odd viewing the gestures as mere brotherly like affection. Of course the actions were done only ever so often and discreetly but never coming off as anything above normal.

When Harry's birthday had rolled around the three decided to work together in order to throw him one of the best birthday's that he had ever had! With the help of Nurse Joy, who had lent them the top floor of the Pokemon Centre and offered to do the baking, until discovering Volkner was a rather talented baker himself being taught by his mother when he had been younger. Instead she and Norman decided to work on the decorations due to the man having no culinary skills of his own, and being a father of two himself, giving his own opinion and style to the place while Sirius had taken Harry out for the rest of the day while they had remained behind. He understood how much Sirius wanted to spend time with godson; the same could be said for Harry. Giving them the space they needed to be alone was what the two wanted more than anything for that Norman had no problem granting them that desire.

Unfortunately all the places that Harry had enjoyed had begun to have its toll on him, after spending so much time in those places. Sirius had begun to run out of ideas to stall for time until his luck had changed upon heading the Jubilife TV centre where an event was going on, a challenge.

A lottery based on luck.

It wasn't much and appeared to be rather crowded diving in to take look hadn't hurt anybody eventually reaching to the front of the line where both handed in their numbers to wait their results. In the end only Harry had won; his prize? A black Pokeball with a yellow 'u' design on the top; an Ultra Ball, once they had received they had decided to return to the Centre where they had gotten quite the surprise awaiting for them. The egg had started to glow!

It took all of them by surprise waiting as the egg's flashing increased in momentum and wiggling around with cracks appearing upon the surface making their way down. The sounds could barely be heard, but were clear as day as they watched. And waited with anticipation; they all wanted to see their newest companion.

With a burst of shining light that had enveloped the room a small; but cute yellow and spiky eared Pichu had emerged from the egg. Wiping the eyes with its small arms blinking tiredly at the group and gave the tiny head a firm shake before the eyes widened staring at Harry curiously and let out a giant smile. Without a warning Pichu leaped straight into his chest cuddling up against Harry, looking up with eyes shining with childlike affection. The small electric type had left soon after in an attempt to walk around nearly falling onto the ground several times before managing to stand tall and proud, letting out a tiny but, proud cry. Obviously happy at the achievement, heading over towards Nidoran and Bagon wanting to see his 'big brothers' clinging to them happily.

Apparently, all of Harry's Pokemon were the affection type.

The rest of the party had Harry sitting in the chair with Pichu on his lap, nearly drained from the running around and playing that it had done, collapsing not to long after hatching and fell soundlessly asleep without a hassle. The present came next catching him by surprise. For the first time in his life Harry had appeared thrown. None of them had spared a second thought on the matter dismissing it on fatigue from spending his day with Sirius, the wizard knew better; of course, but kept his mouth shut on the matter. None of them needed to know about Harry's old home life anyway. It was irrelevant now.

Volkner managed to order and obtain different Pokemons from a region known as Johto; giving Harry a thunder stone, water stone, fire stone and lastly a leaf stone. The leader apparently did not like doing things half-assed instead placing some effort into his present, Sirius scoffed at the gift before presenting his own; turning out to be a rather large book containing myths through the regions. Looking rather proud of himself hugging his godson before sending Norman right after him. The Hoenn native did not have anything to give to him instead offering an exchange, he'd give Harry self-defense lessons and the other would teach him how to cook. Harry agreed to Norman's delight.

Perhaps having someone to teach, he wouldn't be the only one cooking out of the four of them, Harry did enjoy cooking as it provided him solitude and responsibility for the group. Each of them had their assigned roles when camping out in the wilderness, Norman and Sirius alternated between gathering firewood and setting up camp occasionally switching with Volkner; whom had the job of starting the fire and helping with the ingredients, which was fine. As long as the blonde wasn't attempting to actual cook anything by himself nothing bad happened. The system they had set up worked. However, having two cooks within the group was a benefit that none of them could afford to overlook, in case of an emergency that rendered Harry injured or ill, someone would be able to take over and no one would starve. And at least, the older man wasn't entirely hopeless like Sirius.

Not even the wizard had rebuked his inability to cook claiming he was band from even helping out!

Oddly Harry didn't even think for one moment that Sirius was trying to get out of work. It simply wasn't in the man's nature to shove responsibility onto someone else, at least now. Back when Sirius had been younger he might have but not anymore.

In the end it had been the best birthday that Harry ever had.

* * *

><p>"Are we all packed and ready to go?" Norman hollered from the other side of the room, kneeling down on the ground as he finished gathering the rest of his together, swinging the back over his shoulder once he was ready to go. Now that they were entered august the start of the Sinnoh league had begun. Much like the Hoenn league they operated on a 10-month length for collecting badges with the eleventh month being solemnly dedicated to the tournament and then having a month resting point giving the league enough time to relax and prepare for the following year. And as far as he was aware Kanto and Johto both ran on their own league schedules.<p>

Harry popped his head from behind the couch. "I'm almost ready to go. Sirius is just getting his Pokemon from downstairs and Volkner..."

"Volkner?" Eyebrows furrowed together in worry. "What happened to him?"

"Let's just say that he should stick to rocket science," The raven haired boy commented thickly watching as the blonde struggled to get his things into his bag, looking quite agitated. While it was quite humorous he really wished that Volkner asked for help...or at least emptied his bag and attempted again.

"...I see," Inwardly Norman was laughing in hysterics. Shaking his head and secretly rolled his eyes in the process, before removing himself from the ground looking towards the other's direction. "You know Volkner if you need any help with your bag. I'd be happy to lend you some," He offered to the younger male with a bright smile.

Volkner threw him a glare. "Thanks, but no thanks. I can do this by myself!"

The moment those words left his mouth his sleeping bag shot out essentially upper cutting him sending the blonde falling flat onto his ass, with the rolling towards the table spinning around in circles. The vicious expression that appeared on the blonde's face was enough to freeze ice snapping back up from the ground and let out a ferocious hiss that did not go unheard by the other two. Eyes twitched rapidly gripping onto the bag seethed.

Norman folded his arms against his chest smiling. "Are you sure?"

"Very." Came the sharp and quick retort. Obviously Volkner was not giving up until he had his bag ready to go on his own.

"In that case I'll be with Sirius. We'll meet up with you two kids downstairs," Norman remarked waving his hand, turning sharply towards the stairs ignoring another sharp growl from the blonde. His free hand had been used to cover his mouth in an attempt to keep the chuckle from being heard by the other patrons he passed by. They were probably the only ones outside of Flint that knew Volkner had such a side to him. In the little time the four of them had spent together; each of them discovered things about one another that others did not. And for that he was thankful. This new journey was proving to be more eventful then he had anticipated.

Arriving at the desk within in plain view was Sirius leaning against it looking bored. His backpack was on the ground by his crossed his feet.

"I think Volkner is going to take awhile," Norman remarked upon approaching the long haired man.

Sirius snorted. "Why am I not surprised?" Shaking his head he used his hind leg to kick off from the back turning his body while arms went to the back of his head. "What's keeping him?"

"He's fighting with his bag."

"Again?"

"Yep."

"You'd think a man with his IQ he would have been the first one to get packed," Sirius snarked throwing his attention to the upper levels.

"He has been acting rather odd since we arrival here in Jubilife," Norman murmured stroking his chin eyes narrowed thoughtfully gazing down at the ground. The blonde's behaviour had taken a bit of change, subtle, but still a change. Not anything that warranted worry; nonetheless it was an odd shift in his fellow leader's personality. Of course, Norman wasn't blind to nor ignorant to the real reason for it deciding to keep his mouth shut rather than blurting it to the world.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow lowering both of his arms. "...Do you think it's something we should be worried about?" he asked seriously.

"I knew that you cared for Volkner deep down inside of you," The Hoenn man teased with a large grin.

"I still don't like him." Sirius cut in sharply throwing him a look at the same time trying to look unconcerned. "I just don't want to have to deal with it for the entire journey is all."

Norman merely smiled. He knew that Sirius was concerned for the blonde even if he didn't want to admit it. Despite the rocky beginning between the two of them there was a sense of kinship that they shared which ultimately both denied and would take it to their graves. "I'm sure he'll be back to his normal self soon, Sirius." He reassured the long-haired male covering his mouth within his hand to cover his chuckling.

Sirius sent him a glare and caused his laughter to be revealed.

It hadn't been too much time until Volkner shoved his stuff into his bag, appearing clunky and forced into though the disgruntled lining on his face was any indicator, it hadn't been done well. Harry on the other hand, was content looking ready to go waiting patiently by his friend's side as they grabbed their Pokeballs from the counter. Once giving thanks to Nurse Joy, they paused to check the maps stored within their Poketchs.

"Looks like we head north and then take the east pathway to get to route 203 which will take us straight to Oreburgh," Volkner stated glancing up from the watch, sapphire eyes darted towards the direction of the path.

"You don't know how to get to Oreburgh," Sirius said flatly. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

The electric leader frowned, shrugging his shoulders. "I hardly ever leave my city if I can avoid it, unless it's for an emergency or something important, and when that happens I take the train or use one of my Pokemon to get me there." He answered truthfully, not bothering to try and make an excuse. "The only places I really travel to is the Battle Frontier and the Underground, a place where us gym leaders go and hang out whenever we're bored and want to battle each other, sometimes we allow certain trainers to enter the underground. It's rare, but not too uncommon."

"In other words." Sirius concluded, pointing at him. "You're lazy."

"Sure, whatever old man." Volkner retorted nonchalantly not even sparing him a look getting a head start from the rest of them.

"I am _NOT _old!" Sirius roared loudly glaring at him shaking his hand in mock anger.

Harry raised an eyebrow, a small smirk appeared. "Compared to us you are!"

"Even my own godson thinks I'm old?!"

Norman rolled his eyes clapping a hand upon his shoulder. "Don't worry Sirius I don't think you're old."

"See at least I have someone on my side!" Sirius then prompted to stick his tongue out at the younger ones grinning widely. One of his free hands had sneaked up and grasped Norman's giving it a small squeeze before releasing it, giving the other male a genuine smile. Slipping down subtly and grasping the one of the fallen hands, curling up briefly before separating once again they stared back at one another until several moments passed before they went to catch up to the other two.

Since they had spent so much time wandering around the city getting to the route hadn't taken very long except...

On the ground badly bruised appeared to be a young boy and a small girl; both looking around the ages of ten or so by the looks of it cornered by the strangest group of people, each of them wore similar uniforms and turquoise green hair upon their heads staring menacingly at the two kids. The uniforms that they wore were mostly greyish like coloring, the arms were silver coming off as more metal like and was the same for the girl's pants while the boy's were pure black. On the top area right in the centre was a giant yellow 'G' on it. The glints shining in their eyes were not friendly in the least, each of them holding their pokeballs in a very threatening manner.

Sirius wasn't about to stand and allow two innocent kids to get hurt. "Hey you four get the HELL away from those kids!" charging straight into battle which had been excepted by Harry, following not to far behind him later being joined by Volkner and Norman standing offensive upon arrival glaring at the figures.

"How annoying," One of them remarked irritated. "Can't you see that we're busy?"

The first male sneered at them. "Get lost."

"Or else we'll have to roughen you all up!" The second female continued with a malicious smirk on her face.

"I sincerely doubt that you'll be able to take on all four of us. Instead why don't you get lost instead." Volkner's tone was cold, eyes frozen over staring at the strange clothed people in front of them. Carefully placing himself straight in front of the kids in an attempt to shield them from harm. His eyes were narrowed darkly at the opposing force. "Unless we have to make you leave."

The first girl snarled. "Is that a challenge?!"

"Four against four," Harry spoke up joining Volkner by his side eyeing the four warily, fingers tapping on his Pokeballs falling into a defensive stance. "There's one for each of us."

"Apparently," Sirius agreed carefully gripping one of his Pokeballs not taking his eyes off the perpetrators.

The second male hissed angrily slashing his arm violently to the side, his teeth gritted together glaring irritably towards them. "In that case I'm not wasting any time GO ZUBAT!"

"TAKE'EM DOWN WURMPLE!"

"GET RID OF THESE PESTS BRONZOR!"

"HERE WE GO STUNKY!"

Four bright flashes of light appeared revealing the chosen Pokemon before them; two of them were hovering in the air, the first one resembled a bat of sorts flapping it's wings revealing the purple underneath while the rest of its body being a light blue and had the mouth wide open revealing the four sharp fangs that it had. Next to it was what appeared to be a floating disk of sorts that looked clown like face; bright yellow eyes with black iris around the outside were several small orbs, six on the bottom and six on the top. The last two were a large magenta worm with beady eyes staring at them and a purple stunk with white fur on top that had the strangest eyes that they had ever seen.

"Don't bother scanning them. Now is not the time for it," Norman murmured directly at Sirius and Harry, eyes remained on the four. "The only thing you need to know is Zubat's have a fondness for disorienting their opponents-"

"Same with Bronzor so watch for that too," Volkner added grimly, his eyes glanced briefly towards Harry. "It's a dual type, Steel being it's primary and psychic being secondary. One of Bronzor's main weaknesses is Fighting-type moves." The gleam of understanding appeared in Harry's eyes gaining a smirk as the blonde's eyes focused once again upon their opponents. "I'll take care of Wurmple, it will be easy." Tossing his Pokeball in the air; unleashing the bright light. "ELEKID LETS GO!"

Norman threw his not soon afterwards. "STARLY!"

"Alright here we go," Sirius murmured tossing his own ball into the air. "TURTWIG!"

"NIDORAN!" Harry swiftly called out, revealing the small Pokemon.

Their opponents hadn't wasted any time and began to issue commands to their side. "Zubat attack with _Astonish_ and then use _Supersonic_!"

"Wurmple help Zubat by using _String Shot_to keep them all in place!"

"Stunky use _Screech_!"

"Bronzor hit them with _Confusion_!"

"I don't think so." Norman snarled throwing a fist forward. "Starly counter Zubat's and Bronzor's attacks with _Quick Attack_ and then use _Wing Attack _on Stunky!"

"Elekid help out Starly by using Low kick!" Volkner commanded sternly, eyes narrowed.

Harry followed up straight after. "Nidoran take out Bronzor with _Double Kick_!"

"Turtwig use _Tackle _on Stunky!" Sirius yelled, teaming up to at least take out one of them. By doing that it would give them the advantage of numbers, though whether how long that would remain he didn't really know. But it was better plan than none at all.

The bird letting out a powerful cry; swooping upwards into the sky before dashing towards Bronzor and Zubat with amazing speed, spinning to the side in order to avoid the attacks passing by the two taking them by surprise, the edge of the wing's flashed a bright white light sharpening before crashing straight into Wurmple; whom unleashed the silky string from the mouth darting, nearly hitting the flying type only to bypass it heading straight towards the other three attempting to blind or capture them. Stunky unleashed a powerful burst of sound sending it towards Turtwig, knocking the grass-type back a few feet upon trying to attack, falling back straight onto its shell struggling to get back up as Stunky loomed over it in a menacing manner.

Nidoran's feet flashed slamming hind legs straight into Bronzor's face pummeling to the ground causing a violent shake to occur, stomping on the steel type repeatedly before jumping a few feet back watching cautiously for the plate-like creature to surface once more, while warily watching it's fellow partners battle against their own opponents. Elekid unfortunately had rammed straight into a walk, for Wurmple managed to jump safely out of harm's way, sharply turning around and firing another _String Shot_ at the electric type wrapping the stick substance against the wall preventing the opponent from being able to move. Zubat also was fair rather well against Starly, colliding together making sparks flash; as the poison type unleashed another powerful _Supersonic _only for Starly to use _Wing Attack_to act as a guard against it, flinching upon impact but managing to remain in the air.

With Elekid unable to free it's self from captivity the tides had turned into Wurmple's and Bronzor's favour teaming up against the lone Nidoran that stood against them. Not even hesitating at all, Wurmple instead of repeating the same attack, used _Tackle _in order to knock the poison type off it's balance only to be met back with a powerful _Peck_ attack to counter. The two pushed back trying to overpower the other with brute strength alone, unaware of Bronzor sneaking in behind Nidoran preparing to unleash _Confusion_attack.

"ELEKID USE THUNDESHOCK!" Volkner quickly ordered.

A smirk formed upon the electric type's face charging up as electricity formed around the body shredding through the attack, essentially freeing him and unleashed the attack that directed hit Bronzor, shocking the steel type violently making smoke come from it's body. Seeing how weak the other was, Elekid lunged forward without a command tackling Bronzor, skidding across the ground until coming to a stop and seeing the steel type still hovering in the air, though deeply weakened by the consecutive attacks.

The leader smirked. "That's the way Elekid, now how about we finish him off with another _Low Kick_?"

"I won't let you do that!" The female screamed angrily. "Wurmple ignore Nidoran for now and protect Bronzor! Use _Poison Sting!_"

Just as she had said Wurmple leaned to the side mostly ignoring how Nidoran had stumbled forward tumbling around on the ground before making a dash towards it's fallen comrade standing in front of it before unleashing sharp, violet array of needle objects sent flying towards Elekid. The attack hit dead on. Dust surfaced from the ground covering the electric type, revealing the fatigued and ill expression on it's face, a tint of purple washed all the cheeks struggling to stand, wincing every second. Satisfied, the bug-type rushed forward hurtling straight at the opponent and slammed into Elekid, pushing it back a few feet before repeating the attack again.

Bronzor, now recovered somewhat, levitated back into the air panting heavily setting its eyes upon Nidoran, watching as it managed to land a successful _Peck_ attack on Stunky, whom had been attacking Turtwig furiously with _Scratch_attack and proceeded to help the fallen turtle-like creature back onto its feet. Bronzor floated to Stunky's side briefly exchanging a look nodding in unison and returned their attention back onto their opponents lunging at them. Opening it's mouth Stunky unleashed a powerful, disgusting gas washing all over Nidoran and Turtwig, blinding them completely as Bronzor moved in; glowing brightly, sending a blast at the purple smog that surrounded the two. No explosion had occurred, and no noises came from within it.

Norman's eyes narrowed seeing nothing happen, snapping his head at Starly. "Finish off Zubat with Quick Attack, Starly!" He knew exactly what type of move that Bronzor had used;_ Confuse Ray_, a rather annoying attack that many psychic trainers spammed out in order to gain a quick upper hand during battle. He, himself, had been on the receiving end of those attacks via Tate and Liza whenever the Hoenn members met up during a meeting or whenever they were bored.

Starly didn't even shrill following through with it's trainer's commands, flapping his wings vibrantly shooting straight into the air curving sharply and began to spin cutting through the wind. The body flashed brightly the faster it became, leaving streaks of light behind. Zubat seeing the upcoming attack attempted to another _Supersonic_, only to bounce straight off of Starly and froze in place in fear. The powerful collision hadn't ended there. Starly used it's talons to grip firmly onto Zubat, pushing it backwards practically drilling against the poison type until they had reached a wall. Releasing the opponent the flying type had allowed Zubat to crash back first, making a small but very noticeable crater in it's wake. Stunned and unable to move, Zubat promptly and slowly fell to the ground. Unable to move.

The first male hissed stepping backwards staring nervously, and oddly fearfully. "Damn it...these guys are strong!" He hissed holding up his Pokeball recalling Zubat, staring at the ball for several moments before returning at Norman, glaring. "I won't forget this, I'll be back!" With that said he turned and began to ran away leaving his comrades behind.

"One down and three to go!" Sirius smirked, his eyes narrowed.

The female snorted. "Please, he and his Zubat were weaklings compared to us. Stunky use _Fury Swipes _on that pathetic turtle!"

"Not so fast Nidoran use _Peck_on Stunky!" Harry called out.

"And Turtwig take out Bronzor with _Tackle!_"

Not even a moment later did the cloud disburse taking Stunky and Bronzor by surprise, Turtwig lunged towards the steel-type knocking straight into it and stood proudly, waiting for the next moved to be made. Nidoran's horn had gone underneath the other poison-type, jamming it up through the side starting to elevate the surprised Stunky. With no ground beneath the front legs waddles rapidly, and was tossed aside easily causing an expression of bewilderment to appear for a brief moment until Nidoran attacked Stunky with _Double Kick_to the face, back flipping just to slam the hind legs in the process and landed comfortably onto the ground. Expectedly, Stunky staggered to get him letting out hisses of pain; barely able to keep it's eyes open.

Meaning Elekid was taking a pummeling from Wurmple, whom was constantly switching between using _Tackle _and _Poison Sting_ doubling the damage to the currently poisoned electric type. But that wasn't going to keep Elekid down, forcing it's self him from the ground glaring, jumping straight onto the bug-type; which had been taken by surprise. The electric type gripped Wurmple unleashing a _Thundershock_without warning. A sharp shriek came from the bug that continued for several minutes before stopping, Wurmple appeared to be fine until it fainting on sight. Another one of their Pokemon had been taken out as Elekid had gone to rejoin the other two against Stunky and Bronzor.

"How is that thing still able to fight?" Harry asked staring at Bronzor with shock and somewhat awe.

Volkner's eyes glanced down at him briefly. "Bronzor's are known for their defenses and being a tad difficult to defeat in battle. It's why many psychic and steel type trainers seek them out and use them on their teams." A frown appeared on his face. "Elekid use _Low Kick_on Bronzor!"

Harry's attention snapped back to the battle, determined to finally put an end to this battle once and for all. "Nidoran use _Double Kick!"_

"That leaves us taking care of Stunky," Sirius smirked. "Turtwig use _Tackle!"_

"Starly it's time to end this with _Wing Attack!"_Norman shouted loudly, once again throwing his fist forward.

On cue Turtwig and Starly ran beside one another with the grass-type being the first to attack sending the poison type hovering slightly into the air while Starly slashed right through Stunky, as it fell back down rolling across the ground until it had stopped. It's eyes were swirled when it tried to stand falling right back down. Stunky was finally out for the count, leaving Bronzor left. However, it wouldn't be much long from the steel-type's current appearance; having taken a lot of damage during the course of the battle. Together Elekid and Nidoran combined their attacks at once hitting the steel-type pouring as much strength as they could into it refusing to allow Bronzor to escape. Exhausted from using their attacks the two leaped backwards standing firm watching, waiting, for something to happen. But nothing did.

Each of the Pokemon had been defeated.

"I...I think it's time for us to get out of here!" The first girl exclaimed recalling her Wurmple, as her fellow comrades recalled their Stunky and Zubat. Throwing them a look and a scowl, she glared at them. "Don't think you've won. Team Galactic won't take this laying down!"

The second male snarled at them. "You four just got lucky today!"

Together the three had turned tail and ran away leaving nothing behind. Once they were in the clearing the four had quickly recalled their Pokemon, but not before Volkner had used an Antidote on Elekid, to cure the poisoning and turned towards the young kids.

"Are you two alright?" Norman asked softly bending down to their level, a gentle and parental smile was on his face. "Those bad guys didn't you did they?"

The girl shook her head shyly. "N-no, t-they tried to take our Pokemon from us though. I-if it hadn't been for you guy's they probably would have taken them from us."

"Thanks," The boy mumbled looking up at them slightly put out, his hands were stuffed deeply into his pockets glancing their way every second.

"I think we should head back to the Pokemon Centre, I think we're all a bit tired from today." Harry suggested, easily. "Besides we need to get out Pokemon healed anyway, we might as well head there right?" He wore a kind smile that didn't quite match his eyes. A flicker of worry had passed through them, but kept strong. "Shall we?"

Volkner taking his hint already began to guide the two younger trainers straight towards the centre. "This way you two, c'mon," gently pushing them towards the direction.

"Shall we?" Sirius asked Norman with a smile on his face, which vanished upon seeing the worried look on his face. "Norman what's wrong?"

"Huh? O-oh," The normal type leader laughed, shaking his head. "Sorry I was just in deep through there. Nothing to worry about, Sirius. Really!" His arm draped over the wizard's shoulder and smiled at him. "Spending another day in a bed doesn't really sound all that bad you know."

Sirius rolled his eyes and laughed a loud. Unaware of Norman's eyes darkened towards the direction where the Galactic members had run off to.

_'Team Galactic...what are you up to?'_

* * *

><p>Chapter 9 End.<p>

So ends the chapter, with the one of the antagonists, that's right ONE, appearing. Originally this chapter was going to span across at least two chapters before I decided to cut it down at one, as I want to quicken up the pace of this fic and get more into the plot.

The next chapter will be a rather short wait as it is already in works so please look forward to it! And don't forever to leave a review!

Volkner's Party  
>Raichu<p>

Elekid  
>Type: Electric<br>Gender: Male  
>Nature: Naughty<br>Ability: Static  
>Moves: Low Kick, Thundershock, Quick Attack, Leer<p>

Harry's Party  
>Bagon<br>Nidoran

Pichu  
>Type: Electric<br>Gender: Male  
>Nature: Jolly<br>Ability: Static  
>Moves: Thundershock, Charm.<p>

Make sure to have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday that you celebrate and a Happy New Year!


	10. Oreburgh

Chapter 10: Oreburgh!

After the encounter with the aggressive, odd looking thieves known as Team Galactic, many strange rumours and whispers began to spring up. At first it had been miniscule; unfortunately there was only one thing that was faster than the speed of light. And that was the speed of gossip. Something that Harry knew far too well. The city had erupted with the false advertisement that had been distributed throughout the city; preaching about new energy sources laying within Pokémon, and how they could use it for themselves.

Of course everyone knew better.

The two kids that they had saved had told Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy everything; news of the attack had spread quickly throughout the rest of the region giving warning to the populace of Sinnoh. It may not have been much, but it was enough to at least warn the people.

Norman, on the other hand, looked greatly disturbed by the appearance of Team Galactic. Him being the one to press the issue forward upon meeting the Jenny when they had arrived at the Pokémon Centre again. None of them knew why the leader had reacted with such persistence, not that the matter wasn't important, Norman had immediately jumped onto getting the word out about Galactic. It was rather strange witnessing the leader acting out of character from the usual laid-back pleasant attitude that the three had come to known the past month and some. Something was bugging the man more than he had been letting on; the sheer ferociousness and desperation that Norman had displayed worried them.

But no one more so than Sirius; he knew that some things had been kept from one another but said nothing out of respect for the other, now Sirius was starting to question that. Should he have asked Norman more about his past, or was this something else entirely.

Not too long after they had departed Jubilife City and headed for Oreburgh, the city of the first gym. The distance between the two cities was at least a week away and that was depending whether or not they would stay on the route for certain duration of time, like before upon leaving Sandgem. However, oddly it had been Volkner that had suggested that they headed straight to Oreburgh as he had pointed out they had spent over a month training and preparing for the upcoming gym battle.

Of course Harry was still rather uncertain if he would participate in the gym battle, as Sirius had already made it clear that he wanted to give it a shot. The battle with Barry had passed through his memory, the excitement and thrill that he and Bagon had felt that day; it still lingered even now. There was something about it that he had enjoyed, and so did Bagon for that matter. That was why Harry had made a decision to battle at least the first leader before making any further commitments, there was still so much that he wanted to learn about this world. But there was one thing for certain that Harry acknowledged, whatever choice that he would make there would be no regrets.

* * *

><p>Oreburgh Gym looked vastly different compared to the last three cities that they had been too; the place while appearing to have a modern design in comparison to Harry's and Sirius' world, the town seemed surrounded by mountains, even appearing to be right smacked in the middle of one from the distance. Buildings appeared from the 'hole' like landscape it was settled in.<p>

"Welcome to Oreburgh, Sinnoh's number of city when it comes to mining and science facilities," Volkner commented proudly gesturing entering the city smirking around the place. "And it's Fossil Rejuvenation, too."

Sirius blinked. "Fossil Rejuvenation?"

"What that means is that the fossils that are found buried within the earth are able to be 'brought back' for a lack of a better term. The fossils in question are Pokémon that are long gone from this world, many researchers use the Rejuvenation in order to further their research of Pokémon," Norman explained further waving his hand, smiling.

Harry and Sirius exchanged a lingering stare before switching their attention back towards the other two. It seemed that this world was far more advanced than they had originally anticipated, the mere fact they could bring back fossils to life was an outstanding feat in all in itself; not even the wizarding world developed a spell that was capable of doing that. Excluding the spell for Inferi, not that they counted, at least in Sirius' opinion. Just how far technically advanced was this world?

"Isn't that...dangerous?" Harry began slowly, images of tyrannosaur –rexs and others dangerous dinosaurs instantly began to flash through his mind nearly making him shudder.

Norman placed a hand upon his shoulder. "It can be quiet dangerous, yes. But the researchers in charge are always very cautious when it comes to reviving the fossils taking measures in order to ensure the city and themselves are safe. One of these measures is that they try and not resurrect the flesh eating ones. Of course sometimes they are proven wrong about a Pokémon and it turns out that it wasn't a herbivore like they thought…" he trailed off before shrugging.

"That's comforting," Hopefully the level of corruption wasn't as bad as it had been back in their world.

"If things do get out of they take care of it, or someone else with stronger Pokémon does." Volkner continued on lazily yawning, adjusting his arms behind the back of his head gazing upward.

Sirius snorted unimpressed. "Good to see that nothing changes. When something goes wrong someone else ends up doing the clean up."

"Know from personal experience?" Volkner retorted dryly.

"Who knows?" Sirius smirked sardonically at the younger male briskly brushing by him without a care quickening his pace straight to the nearest Pokémon Centre. His mood seemed to have soured to his displeasure. He had come here feeling excited and ready to try a battle for himself, it was something that Sirius enjoyed and played on indulging in. He could see clearly why everyone in this world loved battling so much! It was a bit different from duelling, but still enjoyable nonetheless. And because of that he planned on going all out!

A smirk marred his face entering the Pokémon Centre as his sour mood seemed to dissipate.

Gray eyes took in the building feeling the refreshing air wash over his body putting him at ease. The centre seemed to always have a way to make people feel welcomed and completely relieved, he searched towards the desk looking for Nurse Joy, but instead found himself accidentally bumping into someone.

It made him snap back into reality. "Sorry about that," Sirius apologized sincerely to the person; a man, much younger then himself, that much he was quite certain of, with brunet hair that spiked at the back of his neck while the rest was covered by the red helmet that laid upon his head and it had a light in the middle. He wore thin glasses along with a black shirt underneath a beige shirt and pants with yellow reflective strips around his arms, shirt and at the ends of his white gloves. Oddly to him the other man was wearing a pair of black rubber boots.

"Nah it's alright," The man smiled at him pleasantly. "I was off in my world as well."

Sirius chuckled. "In that case how about we call it even for the mean time?" As he held out his hand out. "Name's Sirius Black."

"Nice to meet you, name's Roark." The brunet, now revealed as Roark, shook his hand firmly with his tight grip. "You're not from Oreburgh?"

"Not from Sinnoh actually. I arrived with my godson around a month and some ago, it's a rather nice place." Sirius answered the other, sliding his hands into his pockets.

Roark chuckled. "In that case I'm glad to hear that you and your godson are enjoying Sinnoh. I'm guessing this is your first time in Oreburgh?" At Sirius nod the brunet chuckled. "I see. Well I hope you enjoy your stay, unfortunately, as much as I wish I could show you around, I can't. This week is going to be rather busy." A sharp sigh escape from him shaking his head and leaned against the side. "And it's only going to get busier."

"Oh?" Sirius blinked rapidly at the claim. "What is it that you do?"

Before Roark was able to reply the doors opened from behind him. "Sirius!" The wizard's head snapped backwards to see Harry and the others finally arriving. And he ended up on the receiving end of his godson's pierced glares. "You could have waited for us you know," Harry said flatly pointing a glare at him.

"Sorry!" He piped truthfully, smiling sheepishly.

Roark held his hand to his forehead waving. "Yo Volkner."

"Hey Roark," The blonde waved lazily at him.

"You two...know each other?" Sirius' head snapped between the two younger men in confusion.

Volkner smirked widely. "Hm. Roark is the Oreburgh Gym Leader."

* * *

><p>Needlessly to say that rest was history.<p>

The fact that Roark was the city's gym leader had taken Sirius by surprise stunning, not expecting someone even younger than Volkner to also be a gym leader, once snapped out his stupor he had immediately requested a gym battle not only for himself but for Harry as well. However, Roark was forced to explain that during the current week he was could only take on two gym battles a day; one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, further revealing that he had an opening in the afternoon during the next day offering to whom ever wanted to battle him first.

Sirius hadn't even hesitated when he gave the opening to his godson. In his mind Harry deserved to be the first one out of them to have a gym battle. Harry had worked his ass off training with his Pokémon, under the guidance and aid of Volkner and Norman, if anyone was truly ready to challenge the leader it was him.

And that's exactly where they were now.

"This battle between the gym leader Roark and the challenger Harry will now commence! This will be a three versus three battle, only the challenger being allowed to substitute, when all three Pokémon from one side have fainted will the battle have ended. Now begin!"

Roark smirked widely. "Just because you and Volkner are friends doesn't mean I'll be going easy on you Harry! As a Gym leader I plan on fighting to the best of my abilities."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Roark." Harry retorted not unkindly, nodding sharply with his eyes narrowed watching the other man carefully. "To do otherwise would be an insult to us both. Now are we going to battle or we going to talk?"

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Roark announced pulling his arm back, face hardening and eyes narrowed tossing a Pokéball. "Geodude go!"

The flash of light from the Pokéball enveloped the room to reveal a floating rock with arms, a pair of onyx eyes and a tight frown as it grunted upon seeing Harry; judging him. His arms shifted into an offensive fashion holding it's fists up to prepare for the fight that was about to behind, this Pokémon was no slouch when it came to battling from what he was able to tell.

Over by the bleachers Sirius had its Pokédex out pointing towards the field. _"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Often found on mountain trails, Geodude hide half of their body when resting and will swing it's fists angrily when woken. They are well known for their impeccable defensive and physical might."_

"So it stays true to its name then," Sirius remarked with a click of his tongue eyeing the Pokémon unimpressed. "You'd think it be a bit more..."

"Durable?" Volkner offered, folding his arms against his chest.

The wizard frowned thinly. "I was going to say more presentable but I guess that works."

"Don't underestimate Roark," The electric leader chided the other man. His attention was firmly on the field waiting in anticipation for the battle to start, his fingers intertwined as a gleam passed through the sapphire pools. "Sinnoh Gym Leaders aren't just chosen randomly you know. No Leader is." His eyes glanced briefly at Sirius before returning to the field. "And just because Roark is the first gym leader that's being battled doesn't mean that he's weak."

"I didn't mean it like that." Sirius defended snappishly throwing a glare at him.

A snort came from Volkner. "Could have fooled me."

"I'm sure that Sirius didn't mean it that way Volkner. Though there is a common trait with Rock Gym leaders all of them have and use Geodudes, one of my co-workers Roxanne uses one and she's the first gym leader and a young man from Kanto, that's a friend of my daughter's, named Brock was the gym leader of Pewter City and used a Geodude." Norman mused aloud stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Volkner shrugged his shoulders. "Not surprised a lot of Gym leaders tend to use the same Pokémon that others use."

"Some anyway, Normal type leaders don't really tend to same Pokémon." Norman disagreed politely.

"No offense Norman, but that's mainly because there's not a whole lot of you." The blonde said not unkindly. "There's only three of you right? You for one, Whit-" Norman's eyes narrowed darkly at the mention of that name."...noted, I don't particularly like her either and lastly Lenora from Unova, so there's three in total."

"Normal types aren't exactly the most popular Pokémon that people would pursue as a choice for a leader," Norman stated scathingly, shaking his head. "Many trainers have a habit of dismissing them as weaklings...until they end up taking on a gym leader, of course." A sharp smile managed to slide on his face taking on an almost menacing edge.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but refrained from commenting further. "Can we focus on the battle please?"

Harry had chosen Nidoran to open up with steadily keeping their eyes on their opponents waiting for them to make the first move.

"A Nidoran? That's an interesting choice," Roark commented bemused. "However, don't go thinking that it will be enough to stop us! Geodude use _Rock Throw!"_

Geodude's arms were raised into the air appearing to hold something as a flash of light appeared above him until a giant boulder had appeared in his hands. Without hesitation the Rock-type hurtled the boulder as it shattered into medium sized rocks that rained down on Nidoran rapidly.

"Nidoran use _Poison String _to destroy the rocks and then use _Double Kick_ on Geodude!" Harry cried instantly, fear etched on his face upon seeing the rocks. He didn't want Nidoran to get hurt in the battle even though he was aware of the inevitability of it.

The poison type let out a ferocious roar as his horn began to flash brightly growing in size before charging straight towards the rocks leaping out of the way at the nearer rocks while using the horn to knock away others, before jumping onto a rock using it as a platform and made a giant leap towards Geodude, swinging the horn at the rock-type only for it to be grappled by the other Pokémon. Adding the second hand Geodude began to spin around, and around and around gaining speed the longer that it continued before throwing Nidoran across the room, as if he was a bag of potatoes.

Thankfully, it had not been out of bounds allowing the battle to continue.

Nidoran forced itself to stand throwing a glare at the Geodude. "Nido!"

"Alright Geodude let's end this with _Roll out!_" Roark commanded throwing his arm forward.

Harry's eyes narrowed watching as Geodude wrapped himself into a ball before dashing towards Nidoran. "Use _Double kick _in order to stop him Nidoran!"

The small poison type nodded shortly managing to barely get out of the way while Geodude collided straight one of the boulders on the field creating a small hole within it. Slowly, the rock-type got out and turned towards the direction where Nidoran was standing, swiftly lunged towards him.

"Don't let him get away this time Geodude!" Roark hollered loudly, eyes narrowed at the scene observing the two as Nidoran had once again dodged the attack rendering his Geodude once again getting stuck in a wall. Biting down on his teeth, the leader frowned thinly. The speed between Nidoran and his Geodude seemed relatively the same only the key difference laid within the reaction time with that the opponent was able to safely manoeuvre out of the way of the attack. Unfortunately, he couldn't allow that continue any longer. "Geodude cease using Rollout and use _Seismic Toss!"_

The rock unwrapped himself letting out a low grunt. "Geo!" Diving towards the unsuspecting Nidoran he attempted to grab from behind only to narrowly miss before proceeding to chase after the poison-type relentlessly, flinging angrily at his opponent, trying to follow through with the commands given to him.

"Keep dodging his attacks Nidoran!" Harry cheered on, looking relieved that Nidoran was able to avoid the other's attacks. But how could they end this fight? Geodude was most likely use to long drawn out battles like these, while Nidoran was not thus placing them at a disadvantage. Frankly speaking, as painful as it sounded, Harry didn't know how much longer Nidoran would be able to last. They needed to end the fight quickly as possible the question was how? He was well aware that Fighting type moves were very effective against Rock-types, but they simply needed to get close to Geodude at the same time avoiding getting grabbed. His eyes narrowed as they searched the field, there had to be something that they could use.

The field was completely centered on a mountain like environment which made sense due to Roark's typing. Unfortunately that meant also gave the leader another advantage over them, damn it.

Harry gritted his teeth eyes peering over the battle watching as Geodude knocked into the larger boulders that were sc...

Suddenly a smirk slide onto his face. "Nidoran!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs. "Get onto the boulder!"

"Nido!" The poison-type nodded shortly kicking off of the stones leaping straight into the air shifting his body around in a spiral like motion and landed safely on the largest boulder that towered over the rest of the field. Narrowing it's eyes, Nidoran eyed Geodude warily waiting as the other approached with much hostility. The rock-type drew nearer and nearer with each passing second holding it's fists out widely in order to grab hold, not that Nidoran would allow that, kicking his legs back as he started to charge up his attack; his hind legs began to flash a white light making a jump at the Rock-type once it was close enough. With that Nidoran slammed his feet down on the Geodude.

A sharp, painful cry pierced the room echoing off the walls as dust filled the field covering Geodude and Nidoran, blurry silhouettes could be seen within the clouds. Anxiety surged through the trainers as time seemed to pass by ever so slowly; it seemed almost like an eternity.

Suddenly out of nowhere the dust evaporated into nothingness leaving no trace insight revealing Nidoran standing quite proudly at his accomplishment as attention drew towards the unconscious Geodude that lay on the ground appearing completely thrashed from the fight. The rock-type was lying in a small crater which had been created due to the combined impact of the _Double Kick_ that Nidoran had used and the collision from above, needless to say Geodude was now out for the counter.

"Geodude has fainted the victory goes to Nidoran!" The referee cried slashing his arm down towards Harry.

The bespectacled teen let out a sigh as he felt relief wash over him, wearing a tentative smile. "Well done Nidoran, I'm proud of you!" It seemed to be an invitation for affection as Nidoran ran over towards him landing straight on his chest just narrowly avoiding the horn, falling straight on his behind before Harry patted him lovingly. "U-urgh...y-you're welcome!" He gasped out struggling to get out a few chuckles.

Roark smiled ruefully holding up a Pokéball, shaking his head amused by the antics of his challenger. "Geodude return!" The beam of light hit dead on returning his beloved partner back into his Pokémon, the sad smile remained. "Thank you for all your hard work today, Geodude. You deserve a nice long rest my friend." Placing the Pokéball back on his belt before grabbing another, however, he took a few more moments allowing Harry to savour his first victory. "I have to admit you're doing very well Harry, but don't go thinking that you'll be able to beat me so easily. My next Pokémon isn't a pushover!" He tossed the ball straight into the air. "Let's go ONIX!"

The beam of light engulfed the room entirely as a giant creature emerged from the Pokéball spreading straight to the ceiling above revealing a rock-like serpent with a horn upon its head. The body was made of up giant boulders that decreased in size all the way down, yet it still towered over Nidoran with pure ease.

Harry oddly began to feel a sense of déjà vu upon seeing the creature, and swallowed thickly. "Onix, huh? Let's see what the Pokédex has to say about this guy," As he pulled it from his back pocket holding the object towards the snake like creature.

"_Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. Onix is capable of tunnelling through the ground at fifty miles per hour while underground and is able to shake the ground with its thunderous roar alone. Onix absorbs the hard material beneath the earth in order to strength it's defence."_The Pokédex informed mechanically.

"Good to know, I guess. Not sure if it's going to help though," Harry murmured lowly sliding it back into his pocket, facing the obelisk that was before them. At least with Onix's large size had granted them an opening that could be exploited, by the size could prove troublesome for Nidoran. He pressed his lips together exchanging a brief glance with the poison-type before nodding his head, his eyes snapped back to Roark. "Alright we're ready!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Roark nodded approvingly. "Show us what you've got!"

"Nidoran let's start things off with a _Poison Sting_to blind Onix!" Harry cried out.

A sly smirk on formed on Roark's face. "Sorry to say Harry but that's not going to work on us," The smirk was replaced with a thin frown. "Onix use _Screech _and then knock Nidoran away with a _Slam _attack!"

Onix flung it's head backwards to unleash a powerful screech that shook the entire room; even the ceiling had been effected as dust fell from above and the everyone else was forced to cover their ears bar Roark, whom remained unaffected. Nidoran had shut his eyes tightly attempting to block out the sound, unaware of the danger that approached from the front. Onix pulled its tail back before swinging forwards quickly meeting with the poison-type sending the small creature flying through the air and rolled around the ground, tumbling over a stone then laying there silently.

"NIDORAN!" Harry screamed in horror, eyes bugged out staring at the small poison type. His heart nearly came to a stop upon seeing Nidoran not moving, thankfully the feeling vanished as he saw the eyelids twitch and met with a pair of red eyes; filled with tiredness, but reassurance. It put him at ease.

"Looks like Nidoran's almost out of it, Onix. Finish him off will you?" Roark asked tilting his head. "Another _Slam _should do the trick."

"_Onix!"_The rock snake growled loudly lunging towards Nidoran again pulling its tail back again preparing to knock Nidoran out of the ring.

Harry hissed biting down on his lip. "Nidoran use _Peck_ to divert Onix's tail and then use _Double Kick_once he's vulnerable!"

"NidoRAN!" The poison type answered sharply, the tip of its horn began to flash brightly, growing in size and charged straight towards the attack in question, his head was lowered enough that he was still able to see the up and coming attack. The gap between them was narrowing quickly as the two lunged at another with Onix making the first move by throwing his tail, during that moment Nidoran raised his head upwards using the horn to slide underneath tilting it upwards putting Onix off balance and nearly toppling the snake-like creature over, the poison type then climbs on, scaling up the back of Onix; it's feet glowing brightly charging up the attack as he began to reach the desired destination.

Onix's head.

With just a few feet away Nidoran made a dive forwards intending to unleash his attack in a similar manner that he had used against Geodude. After all, it worked the first time, it should work a second time as far as the poison-type was concerned. Nidoran then slammed both of its front feet onto Onix's head before switching to the hind legs, unfortunately, it seemed little to no damage had been done to it.

"Shit," Harry cursed softly, that didn't seem to work. "Looks like we're in a bit of a bind now, but what to do?" He knew that Rock types were resistant against Poison attacks, though uncertain if it would actually work against Onix. He bit down on his lip trying to think of a way to take it down.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Roark had other plans. "If you're just going to stand there then I'm going to move in for the attack! Onix use _Rock Throw!"_

Instead of creating a giant boulder like Geodude had done, Onix merely used his tail gathering from the side of the field wrapping it tightly against him, then raising it upwards and swinging back and forth to gain momentum and then tossed the rocks towards the direction where Nidoran laid.

"You need to get up, Nidoran!" Harry cried out fearfully watching helplessly as they drew closer towards the poison type, Nidoran struggled to stand wincing visibly upon attempt shutting his eyes due to the pain. "Hurry! C'mon Nidoran please stand up and run. T-the rocks are coming closer!"

The orbs of red slitted open, acknowledging the urgency of his words and casting a glance at the in-coming attack. At that moment where the rocks were only inches from impacting Nidoran shot Harry a look filled with regret, as the heavy barrage hit their target, shaking the ground. Harry fell down to his knees staring in horror, unable to look away from the scene that he had just witnessed, his eyes fell to the ground feeling the strain as his body began to shake violently trying to comprehend what had just happened.

It seemed unreal...how could he have left this happen?!

Roark closed his eyes briefly glancing at the referee, nodding sharply.

"Nidoran has fainted, the win goes to Oni-"

The referee was interrupted as a burst of light shined through the rubble spreading across the room reflecting off of the metal forcing Roark, Harry and everyone else to cover their eyes. Then the brightness began to dim, eventually fading as quickly as it had appeared. Everyone appeared to be rather bewildered by what had just occurred before their expressions changed into disbelief as the rubble exploded all over the place while a purple flash ran across the field colliding into Onix; the rock snake slide backwards falling backwards onto it's back.

"What the hell was that?!" Roark exclaimed snapping his head towards his Pokémon. "Onix are you alright?" His eyes and tone held a strong level of concern for the rock-snake, as the large Pokémon nodded his head the miner allowed himself to relax with relief.

Before Harry was no longer the small Nidoran that he had captured back in Route 203 this new Pokémon was far larger in comparison, the ears had also grown larger taking a sharper characteristic as the horn had also grown. While the face had matured a bit taking on a more rebellious feature; the body had several spots around the body and while they were miniscule they were still noticeable; just like the sharp tooth on each side of this new Pokémon's face. It was not something to underestimate.

Reaching once again for his Pokédex Harry held it out. "_Nidorino, the evolved form of Nidoran, like it's pre-evolution it shares the title of the Poison pin Pokémon. It is known for its violent disposition using it's poisonous horn in order to stabs it's foes; the horn in its self is known for being able to break through diamond."_

"So...that light was...an evolution?" Harry whispered glancing up at Nidorino with a mixed feeling of awe and surprise, a renewed feeling of confidence bolstered within placing the Pokédex back into his pocket and smirked. "Nidora...err sorry, I guess I should start calling you Nidorino, huh?" As the Poison-type shot him a dry look causing Harry to flush but he quickly regained his composure. "Do you think you'll be able to take out Onix?"

An arrogant smirk appeared on Nidorino's face as he let out a fierce growl, sharply turning back to the fight watching as Onix returned wearing a frightened expression, obviously it was not happy for being taken by surprise.

"I think it's time that we end this little battle don't you agree Harry?" Roark questioned from his side.

Harry inclined his head. "I couldn't agree more Roark!"

The miner smirked. "In that case Onix use _Double-Edge!_"

"Nidorino finish him off with _Double-Edge!"_

Hearing the commands that they had been given the two Pokémon lunged towards one another, the two both began to glow brightly, charging up their respective attacks with Onix being coated with a white light that wrapped around his body appearing like a shield that spiraled around in a circular motion, appearing as if the snake-like creature was hovering in the air. Nidorino's legs were flashing brightly increasing in speed almost vanishing from sight due to the brightness of the energy that was coursing through his body. As the distance between the two diminished even more the two hurtled towards one another, aggressively coming into contact with each other that invoked a giant gust of wind that pushed back into the walls of the gym, Harry had fallen backwards using his arm as a shield while Roark had used his helmet to protect him from tumbling over.

The powerful display of the attacks had rendered the two into a stand still both refused to move from the spot shoving against each other determined to come out as the victor in the battle. The sounds of feet ruffling echoed through the gym.

It was only going to end one way; one of them would fall.

"C'mon Onix!" Roark cheered thrusting his fist forward. "Don't back down!"

Harry frowned. "Nidorino do your best!" He cheered from his side.

The poison and rock type continued to push hard trying to topple the other in order to claim victory neither of them were blaming on losing the fight. The two were exhausted from the fights barely able to hold on as they used each other as leverage to keep standing, fatigue had begun to seep onto their faces panting underneath, however, it could not be seen from far away; their expressions gave it away. It would not be much longer until one of them collapsed.

Onix growled lowly in tandem with Nidorino's hard grunts, hard stares shared between them. With one hard pant later as if on cue the two had fallen to the ground together, laying unconscious as the gym had fallen silent.

After several moments passed the referee snapped out of his stupid. "Both Onix and Nidorino have fainted!"

"A double knock out, never thought that would happen," Volkner murmured from the sidelines rather bemused by the outcome. It was true too as it rarely ever happened in a Pokémon battle from what he was used to, needless to say it was a surprise. "And Harry was able to take out Roark's Onix for that matter."

A smirk appeared on Sirius face as he threw an arm up. "That's my godson! I knew he could do it! He has this battle in the bag!"

"He is doing exceptionally well." Norman agreed nodding with a smile on his face as he turned to him and glanced backwards to the field. "I'm rather eager to see how the rest of this battle plays out."

Volkner shot the two a stern gaze. "Don't be so certain. Now that Harry has taken out Geodude and Onix it's likely that Roark is going to resort to using _that_ Pokémon." He said in a rather grim tone as his eyes flickered back to the field.

Sirius gave him a skeptical look opposed to Norman's stare of understanding which turned sober.

"Gym leaders always have their _ace in the hole_ you could say, their strongest and signature Pokémon that they use in battle," The electric leader elaborated to Sirius having caught on to his look. "Raichu maybe have been my first and mostly used Pokémon but it's not my signature Pokémon. You haven't seen it yet."

Norman leaned against the chair. "Most of us keep our signatures hidden from the challenger until the very end of the battle."

Now Sirius looked rather worried by the remarks swallowing thickly as he returned the field below.

"Onix return!" Roark called returning the rock snake back to its Pokéball, giving a warm smile. "Thank you for all your hard work today, Onix. I have to say you're doing rather well for your first gym battle Harry, I congratulate you!"

Harry had returned Nidorino back to his Pokéball around the same time that Roark had, staring at the man he flushed slightly at the praise. "Thank you Roark. But I didn't do all of the work Nidora...sorry, I mean Nidorino did most of the work. I just helped from the sidelines."

"And your modest, I like that in a trainer!" The miner grinned widely in a relaxed manner as it took on an arrogant edge. "Unfortunately this is as far as you go, I cannot allow you to go any further than this!" Picking a ball from his waist and tossing it into the air. "C'mon out, Cranidos!"

For the fourth time that day, the field was engulfed by the light from the Pokeball, revealing a small grey dinosaur. It had blue skin at the end of the tail and the head had the same color of blue that appeared to be in a spherical design while horns circled around the head. The red eyes flashed with child-like delight and happily bounced upon arrival, kicking back onto the dirt with its sharp nails digging deeply into the ground showing off their strength. Like Geodude and Onix it possessed immense strength and confidence within its capabilities.

_"Cranidos, the Head Butt Pokémon. A dweller of the jungle 100 million years again, due to the head being as hard as steel, Cranidos would head butt trees within its path."_Harry for the third time that day pocketed his Pokédex again, frowning at the dinosaur like Pokémon before him.

_'Sending out Pichu is absolute suicide,' _Harry thought grimly. Curling his lips and bit down on the bottom; while Volkner had helped him train the newest addition to the team he knew it would not be enough to stand up against Cranidos' might; on the other hand there was Bagon, while he was sure that the small dragon would be able to stand up against Cranidos he wasn't sure for how long. The main reason he had sent out Nidor_-ino_ in the first place was due to the attack type advantage that he had. Unfortunately, it appeared that there was little to no choice in the matter as he pulled out a Pokéball from his belt and threw it. "Bagon let's go!"

Upon emerging from the Pokéball Bagon looked around glancing at the room staring with wonder until his eyes had landed onto him lunging towards his direction hugging him tightly, Harry let out a small chuckle returning the embrace before releasing.

"You ready Bagon?" Harry asked quietly at the dragon with a serious gaze.

Bagon nodded swiftly bagging his fist onto his belly. "Bagon bag!"

"Glad to hear it, then let's show Roark exactly what we're made of!" Harry announced his hand forming into a fist holding up for Bagon to see. "We just need to beat Cranidos and we're in the clear. I know you can do this!"

"Bagon!"

Harry grinned widely.

"A Bagon?" Roark's voice grabbed Harry's attention seeing the surprised look on the miner's face. "I have to say I never expected you to have one with you. You're certainly full of surprises aren't you?"

The wizard shrugged dismissively at the claim. "I would not exactly say that, Roark but thanks."

"Is that so?" The miner appeared bemused by his words. "Well I think I'll be the judge of that now won't I? Enough talk! Cranidos start off with _flamethrower!"_

Harry gritted his teeth. "Bagon dodge and follow up by using _Dragon Rage!_"

Cranidos whipped it's head backwards and thrust forward unleashing a powerful blaze of fire straight at Bagon. The dragon stumbled about trying to dodge the attack letting out a sharp cry upon getting skimmed by the flames, skidding across the ground and turning clumsily to face his opponent as his body began to flash a dark red light and unleashed a powerful burst of energy that hit the dinosaur like Pokémon. Unfortunately, while Cranidos had taken the attack full-force it remained mostly unscratched and proceeded to lunge towards Bagon with another flamethrower, this time the dragon managed to dodge the attack successfully but found himself running from the burning flames that chased behind him.

It had not taken Harry very long to figure out Cranidos had no intent at stopping to use the attack unless given orders by Roark. That proved to both be rather bothersome and useful, as he watched Bagon tripping over and rock, tilting forward falling onto the ground with a soft smack.

_'Shit!'_Harry exclaimed mentally. "Bagon use _Force Energy!"_

The dragon heeded Harry's commander shutting his eyes and began to glow a faint white light at the same time Cranidos _flamethrower_ descended upon him covering Bagon in flames. The temperature within the gym rose exponentially while the attack continued on, it seemed that the dinosaur-like Pokémon wouldn't stop until the job was done.

"You can stop now Cranidos. That's enough," Roark called off the attack satisfied.

The dinosaur-like Pokémon ceased the attack upon his trainer's commander giving the miner it's full attention which had quickly been diverted back to see Bagon laying on the ground; covered in soft black burns but appeared nothing serious had been left on the dragon. Uncurling from the spot, the dragon had stood up opening his eyes cautiously taking in the surrounding and let out a sigh of relief resuming back into a fighting stance facing Cranidos rather cockily grinning at his opponent happily.

Taking the advantage of Roark's and Cranidos stilled shock Harry quickly issued a commander. "Bagon use _Zen headbutt!"_

"BAG...ON!" The dragon growled loudly charging up the attack feeling a light shined above his head dashing forward and lowered downwards as he hit directly on Cranidos sending the other Pokémon back several feet onto the ground. Looking proud at the accomplishment Bagon let out a cheerful cry.

"Cranidos!" Roark cried out snapping out his shock and grew angry. "Cranidos I think it's time we put this to a finish!" Slashing his arm down angrily as he glared. "It's time for you to taste your own medicine use _Zen headbutt!"_

"Bagon you use _Zen headbutt _too!" Harry said firmly.

Bagon and Cranidos charged at one another hitting against each other pushing around the field growling at one another as they parted and collided again. The two repeated the actions several times over creating a distance between each other.

Roark smirked. "You've raised your Bagon well, I've heard that their rather difficult Pokémon to raise!"

"I can't really take all of the credit," Harry flushed rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, accepting compliments was something that he was trying to get use to no matter how true his response had been. The others had a great deal in helping him care for the small dragon; since Volkner and Norman were experienced trainers both raising their own Pokémon they gave him advice and aid whenever he needed it, for that Harry would always be grateful. "I had help."

"I see, still, you are the one that did most of the work when it came to raising Bagon," Roark remarked calmly. "You don't give yourself much credit do you?" Cocking an eyebrow, smiling wryly at the younger boy. "Cranidos _Head Smash!_"

The dino-like Pokémon charged forward brandishing it's head from the ground upwards knocking Bagon into the air crashing several feet back, as the dragon-type began to stand up Cranidos attacked again crushing Bagon up against a boulder, whom let out painful cries that had been cut short by the dino.

"Bagon use _Tackle_ to free yourself!" Harry shouted swiftly.

The dragon growled lowly snapping his tiny arms forward onto Cranidos head trying to preventing getting hit by the attack, gritting teeth together and shutting both eyes in struggle to push Cranidos way. The other proved rather strong in terms of strength, feeling his legs starting to move upwards against the boulder that was to the back. It was at the moment when the dragon had gotten a good idea, allowing the attack to push Bagon upwards against the rock flipping him over and landing behind Cranidos, as the other Pokémon colliding into it behind him, as the dragon whipped around grabbing the other by the tail pulling him out and began to spin him around, and around.

Bagon released Cranidos furiously tossing the other Pokémon across the field far from where they had been standing straight out of the field into the out of ends zone.

"Cranidos is out of bounds, the winner is Bagon and Harry!" The referee announced throwing both of his hands up into the air.

Roark appeared absolutely stunned staring in disbelief at the outcome of the match. "...I...lost?" Closing his eyes briefly the leader shook his head shortly returning his beloved Pokémon back to the ball murmuring words of soothing comfort, his eyes roamed to where Bagon and Harry were cheering together with their friends celebrating their victory openly. It was a nice change from the regular decorum usually battling the trainer, handing them the badge and watching them head off. Bemused Roark motioned his co-worker over, whom had a black trey within his hands, as he took it from him approaching the small group. "Harry?" gaining the trainer's attention he held out the trey revealing a silver box that held the brownish object laying on red fabric. "Your way of battling and utilizing attacks to turn the match into your favor was well thought out. It is my humble honor to present you with the Cobble Badge!"

"The...Cobble Badge?" Harry repeated staring at the badge that glistened underneath the lights. Slowly, his arm leaned forward wrapping his fingers around the object shuddering at the cold, steely feel that tingled against his skin, taking it fully into his palm a large smile spread across his face inwardly pride shot through him. He had won his first badge. It seemed rather unreal, in the beginning of it all, he had been hesitant about battles, but after battling Barry, he had gotten over the aversion finally seeing why many trainers enjoyed it. It was exhilarating. "Thank you Roark."

The leader grinned in response. "The next gym you should head to would be Eterna City, mind you, the other leaders are far stronger than I am."

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind." Harry nodded shortly; the badge remained in his palm gripping it.

As Roark had turned to address Sirius the referee had returned bringing with him a boy, that appeared to be around Harry's age from the looks of it wearing a purple jacket with black along the shoulders on top the exposed steely blue shirt and brown khaki pants, looking rather unpleasant at best from the stare and expression that marred his face. He looked less than impressed with the area appearing to be snorting his gaze fell towards where they were standing eyeing them with a strange gleam that passed through the dark orbs before outright dismissing their presence focusing solemnly on Roark. He also noted the stricken look that had appeared on Norman's face upon seeing the boy.

Did he know him from somewhere? Harry frowned glancing back at the boy making a mental note to talk with Norman later about the trainer in question. It was rather rare for the man to frown, rather showing any negative emotions, the man was rather friendly and warm compared to the expression that was currently lining his face. Why had the boy caused such a reaction from Norman? His line of thought had been interrupted not soon afterwards.

"Sorry Roark but this kid wanted to know if your available for a gym battle," The referee looked apologetic sending a ruefull stare between the two.

Roark winced turning towards the boy. "I'd love to have a gym battle with you, unfortunately, I won't be free until tomorrow afternoo-"

"He can have my spot if he wants." Sirius piped up instantly, looking rather sheepish slowly with an innocent smile appeared. "I don't think I'm ready quite yet."

"Are you sure Sirius?" Roark questioned gaining a nod from Sirius returning his attention to the trainer. "In that case is tomorrow morning around ten work for you?"

The boy nodded curtly. "That's fine." His eyes darted towards Sirius bowing his head dashing towards the exit without as much of a second thought.

Volkner cocked an eyebrow. "Friendly," He remarked in a flat tone sliding his hands into his pockets eyeing the direction of where the boy had left. "Not much for conversation either I'd wager."

"And you're one to talk?" Roark rebuked dryly.

"...I plead the fifth."

"Point proven. Thanks."

"Glad to be of service."

"Smartass."

"Me? A smartass? That's a new one. I thought that was Flint."

"Consider yourself moving up in the world."

"I feel honored.

"You should be."

Roark was amused. So was everyone else.

The leader had joined the group as they headed towards the exit wanted to at least bid them a friendly farewell, upon arriving the doors had opened abruptly as Norman had suddenly stumbled backwards knocking into Sirius; whom caught him before he had hit the ground. The respond had winded them all forcing them into bewilderment as their brains struggled to comprehend what had happened, shadows had towered against them.

The first shadow belonged to a young girl with long blunette hair that had been tied back with broaches wearing a white hat that had a pink Pokeball design in the middle, her blue eyes danced with shock and horror her mouth completely open. Her magenta scarf wrapped neatly around her neck, barely falling past her shoulders. Her arms were completely exposed to the world as were her legs. She had a black skirt with pink circling around it that was on top of a white blouse. On her shoulder was a Piplup that glanced between Norman and the other person that had crashed into him.

Besides the girl was a tall tanned male, his eyebrows furrowed in worry and mild bemusement at the scene. He had spiky brown hair with a dark green collar shirt underneath an orange vest with brown near the shoulders; he held the strap of his bag which swung around his shoulders.

"Norman?"

The Petalburg gym leader snapped out of his stupor at the sound of the familiar voice looking at the smaller figure. "Ash?" Blinking rapidly re-adjusting himself upwards with the help of Sirius his posture had returned staring openly at the young teen before him.

Silence fell over the two as if on cue the two had all but exclaimed in unison:

"What are _you _doing here!?"

* * *

><p>Chapter 10-end.<p>

Sorry for the late delay everyone I was hoping to get this chapter out sooner rather than later, unfortunately, my beta and I hit a snag that we were able to thankfully get around and are back in business. Chapter eleven has also been finished in the mean time and is currently going under editing. Once again I want to thank all of my reviewers, readers and my lovely beta for everything; without you guys this fic wouldn't be possible!

And plus we have now Harry not only has gotten his first badge, but his first evolution; and entered possible rivals!

I'm also curious as to how the pacing is going; should I slow it down, speed it up or is it okay as it is? Please let me know!

Harry's team:  
>Bagon<br>Pichu  
>Nidoran - Nidorino<p>

Until next time make sure to leave a review!


	11. Downtime

Chapter 11: Downtime

"So you're travelling through the Sinnoh region; May mentioned something along those lines before leaving for Johto." Upon colliding into Ash's group all of them decided to adjourn to the Pokémon Centre instead of remaining at the gym, as it would be rude to crowd around the front of the entrance. Norman eyed his daughter's friend noticing the changes in appearance donning a black vest with a yellow 'v' design overtop a white t-shirt, baggy navy jeans and the hat design had changed from black and green to black and blue; a good color in his opinion. "I didn't think that we would be meeting up so soon Ash. Still it's good to see you again."

Pikachu was perched on Ash's shoulder letting out a cheerful cry blinking cutely in response while the teen flushed, smiling in return. "Same here! How is May doing anyway? I haven't been able to speak to her since leaving Jubilife City," Ash asked curiously, tilting his head. His lips curled thinly struggling to keep himself from asking the obvious question.

Not that Norman could fault the young man in front of him. The last time that they had seen each other was when his family had bid farewell to Ash and Brock when they returned to Kanto.

"After witnessing you in the League and the Battle Frontier I decided to go on another journey," Norman informed Ash somewhat truthfully, it wasn't entirely a lie nor the truth. "I haven't told May yet, so if you don't mind do you think you can keep this between us for now?"

Ash did not even hesitant answering. "No problem."

"Good," The leader's lips twitched fondly into a small faint smile fading as his eyes narrowed seriously. "...Ash, I want your honest opinion; that boy, Paul. Is he dangerous?"

From the short amount of time that he had gotten to know the young trainer Norman could see that Ash had a good sense of judgement; especially when it came to trainers and their Pokémon , always being cheerful and friendly towards even total strangers, the young teen had a knack for seeing a person's nature. In fact that reason alone was why Norman had brought up the issue of Paul towards Ash, at least hoping to get a second opinion from a non-biased and outside perspective; seeing as this had not been the first time Norman had run into Paul before.

In fact Norman had been granted the absolutely displeasure of meeting the boy two years prior. Paul had challenged Petalburg as the first gym in order to enter the Hoenn league, even then though the boy had had a haughty and arrogant aura around him; at first Norman had brushed it off since most beginning trainers, with the few exception here and there, were always like that until facing a leader. Like every challenger, he had the battle be a three on three. Of course even than that had not prepared him for the horror he was about to witness, watching in disgust at the sheer cruelty that the boy had shown his Pokémon verbally abusing them without much of a care to whom was listening. Not before long Paul had whined at how 'weak' his Pokémon were stomping outside like a spoiled, rotten brat vowing that he would return with stronger Pokémon.

It had been at that moment when Norman had realized what type of trainer he had been forced to deal with. Once the brat had left he went researching this boy, the information that he had gotten was rather shocking. This had not been the first region that Paul had appeared in; one of the Kanto Leaders, Blaine, had fought long and hard to get the boy's license pulled and thrown in jail after seeing how horrid his training methods were and how he did not care if they were injured or whom they injured in the processfrom there the articles and complaints in regards about Paul had staggered over the years. Yet nothing had been done.

Realizing that there was hardly anything that could be done about it Norman had settled for keeping an eye on the brat rather than acting out. After several rematches later Paul had not returned having moved on to Rustboro City.

Norman had not heard much about the boy other than harsh whispers here and there from his colleagues none of them had been impressed with the boy. From what he was able to recall the brat had managed to anger Wattson and Brawly of all people, which was a feat all in its self as the two were known for being easy going and friendly. Needless to say, it was lucky that the brat had left Hoenn when he had or else Norman was certain that the brat would not be so lucky.

His eyes remained firm observing Ash's eyes dulling in contemplation frowning darkly at the inquiry even Pikachu looked unnerved by it. Neither of them had spoken steadily returning the stare keeping silent.

"Paul is...unstable at best, whether or not he is dangerous at this point in time I cannot really say." Ash began slowly, choosing his words very carefully. The solemn expression on his features did not change as he leaned forward fingers intertwining. "His cruelty is frighteningly similar to _that _man. Frighteningly so. I believe that he can change into a better person if he wants to," His eyes closed briefly opening them again revealing a sharp stare. "If he continues to persist down his path than yes, he will be immensely dangerous."

Norman arched an eyebrow wondering whom Ash was referring to but refrained from commenting. "Should we do something about him?" He pressed on.

"Not now," Ash shook his head leaning back against his chair casually, folding his arms to the back of his head finally smiling. "There's nothing that we can do now; so just leave him. Besides I really don't think he can cause too much trouble, he's only interested in strong trainers and strong Pokémon."

"That's not what being a trainer is about," Norman chided.

The raven shrugged. "It's the way his mind works. From what I'm able to tell, I've only talked to him twice."

"...You're taking this rather calmly," Norman commented not unkindly. "Aren't you usually the type to rush in without thinking and being a stop to this kind of think?"

"I'll interfere when I think it's absolutely necessary, shoving my opinion down his throat isn't going to do much." Ash pointed out. "I can express my opinion at his methods but that's about it. He has to learn the hard way."

The Hoenn leader nodded slowly feeling that the conversation had come to an end. "Am I safe to assume that you're starting fresh again?" Norman asked curiously, starting a new conversation with the younger boy as Ash flushed nodding slowly. "Pikachu is obvious staying with you, correct?"

"Yeah, I could never go anywhere without him. He's been with me since I started my journey," Ash stated honestly, eyes softening seemingly being drawn into the memory quickly returning. "Aipom came with me as well stowing away on the ship; I wasn't sure I should have been angry or upset but she's with me now. I captured a Starly that evolved into a Staravia not too longer ago and a Turtwig. I'm using Pikachu, Aipom and Turtwig in my gym battle against Roark."

Aipom and Turtwig seemed like good choices to use against Roark's rock types but to use an electric type? That was rather dangerous due to the type disadvantage Pikachu had, in retrospective Staravia might be a better choice being a flying type it was able to remain in the air and avoid taking damage from grounded Pokémon like Cranidos. Yet, Pikachu's speed would help keep up against Onix and Geodude. Maybe Ash had thought out his chosen Pokémon ahead, though Norman doubted that Ash knew what Pokémon Roark had.

Slowly, a smile slide upon the older man's face. "Hey Ash, how does getting in some training sound to you?"

Norman was met with a happy gaze that nearly made him laugh.

* * *

><p>"Don't want to go back inside?" Volkner questioned bemused, receiving a flat stare from the younger boy.<p>

"Not really. Dawn reminds me far too much of two girls that I knew back home," Harry answered wincing visibly. "I really don't want to deal with her to be honest." While certain that she was a good person, the day had already been a bit long for him, as he had just won his very first badge, and he wanted to celebrate with the people he knew. "You can head back if you want to Volkner, don't want Sirius to have to deal with Dawn and Brock by himself."

The blonde snorted audibly strolling by his side. "I'm sure he can handle those by himself, Sirius is a strong guy." Besides it gave Volkner a chance to be around Harry without anyone else in sight. "...I think this is the first time you've brought up your past. Since Sunyshore," He gestured lowly.

"Is it?" Harry mused at his words, eyes narrowed sharply and then relaxed suddenly. "I guess it is."

"You know, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to share some of it." Volkner murmured rubbing the back of his neck, blue eyes darting back and forth between Harry and the ground. He had finally said it. Mentally the leader was torn between cheering himself on or wanting to jump into a hole and bury himself in it. He jammed his hands straight into his pockets trying to look cool as possible. "If you want to that is."

Harry hummed lightly at his words. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Volkner's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, frowning.

"The past is the past Volkner. It can't be changed, I don't see why you'd want to know about it," Harry said dismissively, his shoulders lowered casually. He turned at him wearing a soft smile. "I'm here now and really that's all that matters, right? Besides, my past isn't all that interesting."

Volkner blinked owlishly. "I still want to know regardless, we're...friends right?" Why did that sound so painful?

"Yeah," Harry nodded slowly faintly smiling at him. "We're friends."

* * *

><p>This was <em>painful.<em>

Sirius had never before desired for a person to be quiet as he did now, and that was saying something. It was evident that the two were relatively good kids, the way Norman spoke and interacted with them was enough to convince him of that; however, one of the issues at hand was that Dawn never seemed to be quiet while Brock swung between being absolutely supportive, than flirting with any woman that had a skirt and forgetting the conversation that had taken place. Even he hadn't acted like that back in his youth. He was seriously questioned the other man's words on the two, more so Brock than Dawn, since she seemed to be new to him as well.

That being said he found himself being rather disgusted with them when Norman came over with Ash at his side informing them that they'd be outside training. After they had left, the two had dropped rather condescending comments about their friend in a scathing manner that left a sour taste in Sirius' mouth, yet did not say anything. There was little to no remorse in their actions promptly changing the topic without a care in the world.

Sirius managed to get himself under control by biting his tongue forcing a smile as he listened to them. He was uncertain whether or not that remaining in their presence would be such a good idea, there was only so much that Sirius was able to stand.

"So are you going to challenge the gym as well, Sirius?" Dawn spoke up snapping him out of his thoughts, staring curiously at him.

The wizard blinked several times giving a tiny smile in response and bowed his head. "Yep! I wasn't sure what I want to do at first but Norman convinced me to at least give it a try. So I thought what the hell, not like I'm getting any younger now am I?" as much as he wished to take back those twelve years of incarceration Sirius knew that he would not be whom he was today if he hadn't. On the other hand, Harry would not have been forced to live with the Dursleys and endure those so-called adventures that had reached his ears. Whether or not they actually occurred Sirius didn't know, never bringing it up while Harry was around, and since he heard it from the Weasley twins Sirius took it with a grain of salt.

"I see," Brock mused stroking his chin. "Have you had your gym battle yet?"

"Not yet. Harry, my godson, has so far; I don't think I'm ready quite yet. Still have lots of training to do," Sirius commented truthfully, not because he lacked on any of his training rather because he simply was not as confident in his abilities as of yet.

Dawn nodded sympathetically. "I know what you mean...I'm a co-ordinator and my first contest is right around the corner, I'm getting really nervous. I'm not sure if I'm ready..." Her voice trailed off softly, blue eyes filled with uncertainty focusing down on the floor, a strained smile plastered on her features.

Oh. Dawn was one of _those _people that Norman had told Sirius about back in Sunyshore, sharing the other man's sentiments about contests he knew that now was not the time to let his dislike be known and swallowing thickly. "You never know unless you try, right? Practice does make perfect. So instead of sitting in here with an old man like me, how about you head outside and do some training?" A parental smile lay gentle on his face hoping to give her encouragement. Despite he was unimpressed with hers and Brock's words about their friend, the blame did not entirely fall onto her shoulders as she was only just a young girl and didn't really know any better. In its self it was not a good excuse to write off the insults she said being due to her age, nevertheless, Sirius himself admitted that he had said a number of stupid things. He only hoped that she learned from her mistakes quicker than he did.

Brock on the other hand had no excuse. From the way he spoke about Ash held deep familiarity yet there appeared to have an undertone of dismissal, almost barely acknowledging the teen. Sirius felt his stomach do a flip-flop; it made him wonder if Brock truly cared about Ash or not.

Sirius knew that it was not his place to make judgement pondering whether he was reading into it too much. Regardless, he made a mental note to discuss his findings with Norman whenever they were alone, since the leader knew them a lot better than he did. Besides, Sirius did not feel comfortable butting into another's business especially. At least not without help of course.

* * *

><p>"I have to say your team is well balanced and diverse Ash. You've come a long way since our last battle for the Balance Badge, I'm very impressed."<p>

Ash flushed under the praise being given as he recalled Staravia back into his Pokéball. "Thanks Norman, but it's not just all me. They've all worked very hard to grow stronger so I can't take all of the credit for their growth." The teen responded with a sheepish smile on his face.

Same old Ash. At least that was one thing Norman knew would never change, smiling very gently at his children's friends, he was slightly surprised to see that none of Ash's other Pokémon were with him. He knew upon meeting Ash for the first time that he wanted a fresh start, leaving his previous Pokémon back at Pallet town. It was understandable considering Ash was a student under Oak's tutelage, making sense that the Professor most likely wanted to see the progress that Ash endured travelling through the Hoenn region, yet something appeared to be off that Norman was unable to place a finger on. His curiosity surfacing the longer his stare remained fixated on the trainer before him appearing thoughtful.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Ash, but didn't you have a Corphish?" He prompted casually, donning amusement seeing the stunned expression that Ash wore. It was rather hilarious.

"I wanted a fresh start-"

Norman arched an eyebrow. "You said that before. While I don't necessarily doubt that there's another reason behind that, isn't there?"

"I don't understand what you mean," Ash answered slightly confused by his words, even Pikachu looked rather lost to his question.

"I find it odd it's all." Norman told him before elaborating further. "You go to a new region yet leave the Pokémon you caught and used in the previous back in Pallet Town instead of rotating them. And instead decided to capture new Pokémon in order to make up for it, I'm merely wondering if there was another reason for that other than a 'fresh' starter?"

The trainer blinked slowly remaining silent at his words. "It's not that I don't want to bring them to a new region, it's just...I'm the only active trainer from Pallet Town right now."

_That _took Norman by surprise. "Wait what? But what about trainers after you-"

"There's only me," Ash answered shaking his head before pausing. "And Gary, but he's decided to become a researcher like Professor Oak so he doesn't really capture any Pokémon and remains mostly in Pallet. I've heard that he's somewhere here in Sinnoh from what I remember." He shrugged his shoulders absently. "Other than that there's no one else. There were two others that started their journeys around the same time I did but they quit after a few months in. So the Professor is rather hesitant to give out Pokémon to anyone these days, actually..." He frowned going into deep though. "Now that I'm thinking about it there was another kid from Pallet town but that's all I know."

"Isn't that a bit much for you to handle all by yourself?" Norman's lips curled in concern.

Ash shook his head again. "Nah, I enjoy travelling and seeing the world. I've always wanted to ever since I was growing up."

"I see." If Ash had no problem with it then he had no right to comment on it. "So the Professor looks and researches your Pokémon when travelling to different regions." Norman concluded, nodding very slowly in tandem with his words.

"That and it provides the lab with protection," Ash said. "Team Rocket," He added afterwards.

"Oh." Why didn't that surprise him? Norman heard many of the misadventures from Max about Team Rocket chasing after them, while the three that had been doing so weren't much of a threat; having fought them twice himself, Norman couldn't help wonder why they were so adamant about. After all they hadn't succeeded so far.

Ash chuckled. "Yeah, they have directly attacked the Professor's lab several times before, I'd rather the town and lab be safe rather than be sorry I didn't leave any strong Pokémon there."

"Admirable," The leader remarked. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't rotate every now and then. I'm sure that nothing bad will happen if you do it every once in awhile. The professor can handle himself."

Ash became hesitant carefully considering his words. "I...do only have four on me..."

"Do you want to have a full team on you?" Norman prompted.

"...I wouldn't mind it." Ash began slowly choosing his words carefully as Pikachu glanced between them worriedly. "I don't want to miss the opportunity to capture new Pokémon and bond with them though."

"You can still do that and rotate, Ash."

The boy's lips twitched, he was obviously considering the idea, but his indecisiveness remained.

"Do you have a strategy for battling Roark?" Norman changed the subject slightly while remaining on topic of Ash's Pokémon. "You said before that you planned on using Aipom, Pikachu and Turtwig correct? I'd like to hear what you have planned."

"Well you already saw Pikachu using _Iron tail_ so I plan on having him use it if it comes down to it. Aipom and Turtwig I'll be using first, Turtwig had a type-advantage against rock-types and Aipom is fast enough to avoid getting hit." Ash mused out loud stroking his chin. "Aipom knows _Focus Punch_, a fighting-type move which also had a type-advantage as well as _Double-Team_ and _Swift_encase she needs to get away and blind whatever Pokémon she's pinned up against."

The leader hummed softly. "I can see that you've put in some thought into it."

"I put in a lot of thought," Ash defended instantly, lips pressed together thin as his eyes gleamed with mid-annoyance. "Just because I don't know which Pokémon Roark uses doesn't mean I didn't think ahead, physical power and type-advantage isn't everything; every move and how it is used it what matters, and the bonds between the Pokémon and the trainer."

Norman held up his hands in defense. "Whoa there Ash, I never said that bonds and hard-work didn't matter."

Ash's face turned a bright red in embarrassment.

"It's fine," Norman dismissed the issue. "Still do you think it's wise to have Pikachu on your roster against Roark? As an electric type, even with _Iron Tail_ it's still dangerous for him." At the moment Ash looked rather rebellious at the claim. "And since you've decided that you're not using Staravia you're at a bit of a spot. I'm not going to tell you what to do Ash, just trying to giving my own thoughts."

"...What do you suggest I do?" Ash inquired, sounding almost defeated yet curious at the same time.

The older male smiled. "How about we head back to the Pokémon Centre, our Pokémon deserve a nice long break, and we can talk about this further there."

Ash fell silent as several moments passed nodding shortly afterwards, heading back to the centre they briefly came across Dawn training with her Piplup and her Buneary. She was too pre-occupied with training to notice them, not wanting to interrupt Dawn the two continued onwards without a hitch. Once getting into the rhythm of training it was difficult to get back into it upon interruption something that Norman and Ash both understood, together the two entered the Centre.

"Norman!" Nurse Joy called from the counter. "There's a call for you!"

Norman frowned. "A call? Where is it from?"

"I believe it's from..." The nurse responded pausing to think before giving her answer. "Petalburg!...I think."

The leader felt his blood run cold at the mention of his town. That narrowed down the possibilities to just two people; Kenny and...Caroline. He managed to suppress a groan forcing a strained smile on his face. "I see. I'll have to take the call later, Nurse Joy. Do you think you can take a message for me?"

"Alright," Clearly she did not know why he made such a request but smiled nonetheless. "I shall do that now. If you're both looking for Sirius and Brock they're up in the diner area."

"Thanks Nurse Joy, and do you mean taking a look at our Pokémon for us?" Ash quickly said as Chansey placed a tray in front of the two of them, placing the respected Pokéballs into them as the giant pink Pokémon hauled it away disappearing into the back room.

Norman could feel the frown being directed towards him but ignored it moving towards the stairs not bothering to acknowledge what happened. His eyes wandered over the place eventually landing on the spot where Sirius and Brock was, with Ash tagging behind him they approached the two greeting them upon arriving.

"How was training?" Sirius questioned budging over to giving room.

Norman chuckled lightly. "It was invigorating; he put up a good battle."

"Is that so?" Sirius' grey eyes fell towards Ash as they danced with mirth. "In that case you and I will have to battle soon."

Ash grinned. "Yeah! I'd like that a lot!"

Brock looked pensive standing up abruptly. "I'm think I'll go and help Dawn train for a bit; hopefully we'll be back soon." He waved his hand shortly at the three disappearing from their line of sight almost immediately. The table fell into awkward, stilled silence after the former leader left.

A frown marred Norman's features sending an inquisitive stare at Sirius, whom shook his head in response mouthing off 'later' at him. The Petalburg resident sharply nodded his head in acceptance. As long as he got filled in he would be satisfied. "...No more food?"

"Sorry!" Sirius grinned cheerfully. "You should have come earlier. There would have been some left!"

Norman rolled his eyes snorting loudly. "Fair point. Next time do try to save me some."

"Aye, aye captain!" The wizard's grin seemed to grow even wider saluting him in a mocking manner causing another snort from the other male. He proceeded to stick out his tongue in a teasing manner only to be met with a crumb to the face, and frowned. "Ow."

"That didn't hurt you big baby," Norman teased with a smirk.

Sirius pouted. "Yes it did!"

"Ahmmm," Norman hummed pretending to appear like he wasn't listening, his lips twitched fondly.

The long-haired man continued to pout switching his attention over at Ash, staring bewildered for several seconds and gave a small smile and shrugged haplessly at Sirius. Realizing that he was alone, the wizard pouted leaning back against the chair and sharply turning towards the window.

"So what brings you to Sinnoh anyway?" Ash immediately decided to break the silence; it was a bit too awkward for his tastes placing on a smile.

Norman chuckled. "I already answered that Ash, remember?"

"Oh –right..." He flushed deeply.

"No worries," Norman leaned over and began to ruffle the trainer's head watching bemused as Ash shot him an irritated gaze. A grin grew on his face.

"Where a bout's are you from Ash?" Sirius jumped into the conversation; being rather curious due to the little knowledge of the regions of the world other than what Norman had told him about Hoenn. Volkner, on the other hand, didn't really talk about Sinnoh all that much giving murmured liked answers. Most likely because neither of them get along all that well, and that was a whole another thing all together.

"The Kanto region, southwest from here." Ash beamed energetically.

Sirius arched an eyebrow, smirking widely. "Is that so? Maybe you can tell us a little bit about Kanto."

And so the teen did launching into an exploration about his home.

* * *

><p>Harry and Volkner strolled away from the Centre beginning to explore Oreburgh City, checking out the mining area that Roark worked out though the gym leader had not been present. Rather than remaining the two headed to the Museum, since it was not too far from the mining area. On the way they passed by a trio of strange miners, but paid them no heed. Though one of them Volkner could have sworn had to be more than a mere midget before dismissing the thought, continuing onwards to their destination.<p>

The museum wasn't like most museums that Volkner had been to in the past; instead of a more rural like buildings like the one in Unova, the Oreburgh one not only was high-tech in appearance but it was also rather sophisticated looking. Mirrors covered the entire place and doubled as a research centre, in fact they even allowed visitors to see the revitalization process at the end of a tour. Neither of them were in the particular mood to go on a tour though and decided for looking around on their own violation and pace instead, while the place had mostly been filled with fossils there were quite a number of paintings and sculptures hanging around as well.

Volkner didn't know how far some of the paintings went; nevertheless, they were very impressive. Though some were a bit odd in his overall opinion, he didn't really have an artistic sense to say the least. His main interests fell towards the fossils anyway; Volkner was still waiting for the day they found a rock/electric type.

His eyes wandered over towards Harry observing discreetly as the teen fell into deep thought eyeing the fossils that were on display.

"See something interesting?" Volkner hollered from his end, a faint yet bemused smile slide on his features seeing the surprised and sheepish expression that appeared.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess, I was just checking these out."

The blonde chuckled softly moving over to join him, eyes flickered towards the display and hummed lightly. "These are rather interesting fossils; I don't know much about them. That's always been Roark's and Byron's department, I usually ended up toning them out and falling asleep during meetings. But I can tell that this one over here is a Helix Fossil; an Omanyte, a Rock/Water type Pokémon. Their usually seen in the Kanto and Johto regions and the one next to it is a Root Fossil; a Lileep Rock/Grass type."

"For someone that says he doesn't know about fossils you seem to speak like you do," Harry teased with a grin on his face.

A blush crept upon Volkner's face shifting excitedly at the praise. It took all of his willpower not to smile right then and there, but seemed to settled for a small smile before turning away. "W-well y-you know," He murmured slid his hands pockets trying to fall into his cool stance. "I have a good memory and all that. Some of that stuff interests me."

"But not really your thing," Harry stated giving a short nod in understanding.

"Pretty much." The blonde returned the nod. "My expertise outside of battling lay in technology and working with my hands. It's what I like. Always have ever since I was growing up in Vermillion City."

"You're home?" Harry inquired.

The leader snorted. "No. Just the place I grow up." He noted that Harry did not question further. Instead a gleam passed through the emerald pools too quickly for him to place, regardless Volkner was grateful for it. He did not have many fond memories of his old home, and his father for that matter. Placing his hand up against his face he shook his head. "It was an okay place to live. I guess, but it wasn't really for me."

Once again Harry merely nodded his head. "No friends there then." It wasn't a question, rather a statement.

"I moved to Sunyshore when I was ten years old with my mother where I got Pikachu as my starter Pokémon and met Flint." Volkner began, sapphire eyes dancing with mirth at the memory. "Back then well... let's say I had a bit of a habit when I was younger."

Harry's brows knitted together confused. "Habit?"

"...I was a bit of a cry baby," Volkner admitted, blushing deeply again wearing a ruefully smile on his face. "Whenever one of my Pokémon got hurt or when I lost I ended up crying. Pretty pathetic, huh?" He couldn't believe he was talking about this in front of Harry, the only person that knew of his habits had been Flint...and his father. His eyes flashed darkly as an image of the man appeared in his mind before pushing it back. Volkner was in no mood to be thinking about that bastard.

"No. It's not," Harry disagreed shaking his head. "Crying means that you're human Volkner, you care for your Pokémon deeply. That's nothing to be ashamed of." His body adjusted slightly into casual stance. "But I'm guessing someone else told you otherwise."

The blonde winced. "My father-"

"Is an idiot." Harry interrupted effectively cutting him off.

Volkner blinked rapidly at the bold declaration, and found himself smirking. "I have to agree with that one. My father and I never got along, never. He's an asshole through and through, firm in his belief that might equals right." A scowl formed on his face. "Load of shit in my opinion. Without bonding with your Pokémon and getting to know them, that doesn't make you strong; just weak and sad."

"Hmmm," Harry mused in agreement.

"Sorry you probably don't want to hear me bitching about my problems," Volkner sighed audibly. What was he thinking? Of course Harry didn't want to hear about it.

To his surprise Harry shook his head maintaining a bright smile. "It's fine Volkner. This is the first, well, kind of the first time that we talked about ourselves." Since they had talked a bit about Harry's past not that long ago, though he avoided it to a degree. "I wouldn't mind hearing more about your past."

"Would you share yours?" Volkner inquired.

Harry delicately raised an eyebrow at him. Closely followed by a mischievous smile, the same one that Volkner had seen on Sirius many times before, directed towards him. "Maybe, that depends."

"Depends on what?" Volkner eyed him confused and cautiously at the younger blonde, going on a defensive. Where was Harry going with this? Nothing bad, at least he hoped. He had been on the receiving end of numerous pranks from Sirius, not that he allowed them to get to him. Nor that he'd ever admit it. Volkner was too proud to let himself loose in a prank war. He already had ideas as to how to get the man back; oh so many ideas. But that was neither here or there.

"Depends if you can catch me or not," Harry answered stepping backwards smirking at him as he went to the doors, winking at him.

A predatorily smirk slide on the blonde's face; at least one thing was for certain. He wouldn't be bored as long as Harry was around.

* * *

><p>Chapter 11-end.<p>

Thanks for all those that reviewed and my readers, you guys are what keep this fic going! Also a big hand once again to my lovely beta; Articuno13 for the lovely editing that she has done. I want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter, as I have been busy working on chapter 12; which has been completed and currently in editing as we speak.

Now I realize that it may seem like I am bashing Brock, Paul and Dawn in this chapter; I will freely admit that I am no fan of Paul and am baffled by the strange affection fans seem to have for him; still, as I've started in the beginning of this fic; there will be no bashing. Everyone will develop in some fashion. But, not instantly. After all; everyone fights, even friends. Keep that in mind.

The next chapter shall be coming out hopefully quickly, so please look forward to it and leave constructive reviews!

Until next time!


	12. Battle of the Fossils!

Chapter 12: Battle of the fossils!

Harry let out a massive groan feeling his eyelids beginning to twitch open much to his annoyance, not soon afterwards a yawn escaped his mouth. Tiredly, he pushed himself upwards blinking owlishly as the light from the ceiling lights penetrated his eyes, getting up from a good sleep always seemed difficult. Even if Harry considered himself a light sleeper and early riser, it didn't make getting up any easier. Another yawned occurred, lazily looking around the area before realizing that it was the Pokémon Centre. Yesterday had not only been rather long but, very tiring as Harry gained the Coal Badge. His very first badge.

It still felt rather exciting to have acquired the badge, in fact, it was rather overwhelming though the feeling was starting to calm down a bit; nevertheless, Harry was happy. And proud of his Pokémon, as they did most of the work. His eyes strayed from his line of sight settling down to the side, nearly feeling them lung out of their sockets in surprise. Lying next to him was none other than Volkner, snoring soundlessly appearing very peaceful as he slept on the couch.

Harry felt his lips tug faintly watching his friend like that as he find himself unable to deny how cute Volkner looked. Tempted to wake the blonde up he quickly dismissed the idea deciding to let the other sleep a bit more, while Harry couldn't really recall what they had done the previous night he, while remaining certain that absolutely no alcohol had been consumed as far as Harry was aware of; exhaustion must have taken them over forcing them to collapse onto the Pokémon Centre's couch rather than returning to their rooms. His thought soon strayed away pondering to where Sirius was, as usually his godfather would have entered the scene pulling him away from Volkner as quickly as possible, not that Harry understood why he disapproved of the blonde, dismissing it as one of those things and leaving it at that. There was just something's that Harry didn't want to know the answer to, plus it saved him a giant headache from trying to figure it out.

Letting out a tiny yawn again carefully removing himself not wanting to wake his friend from his slumber. His hand lowered to his belt making sure that he had his Pokémon with him quietly heading out of the doors of the center, discreetly coming to a stop.

In front of him was Sirius, whom appeared to look rather cross as a dark expression loomed over the Pokéball that lay in his hand. The grey pools narrowed in concentration. Whatever had happened during the time that Harry had been asleep obviously made his godfather rather troubled. Thankfully, Sirius had not yet noticed him fully focused upon the object that was laid in his palm, his curiosity had been piqued wondering what had gained such a reaction; regardless Sirius would tell him. Eventually.

It hadn't taken long for his godfather to notice his presence plastering a smile on his face, though the smile in itself held a mix of bemusement and scrutiny. "Just waking up." A statement rather than a question, Sirius folded his arms against his chest.

"Yeah," Harry rubbed the back of his head a sting of embarrassment quickly stomping it out, roughly shaking his head wearing a faint smile. "You must have been up for a while."

"Got up pretty early this morning to get some training in before doing anything else," Sirius responded with a grin on his face, discreetly digging his hands into his pockets. "Norman went to go with that Ash kid and his two friends to see a gym battle involving the sour looking kid from the other day; you know the one that looked like he had a lemon shoved down his throat."

Harry nearly snorted at the image. "Lovely description Sirius."

"I thought so!" His godfather retorted smugly, a large grin stretched across his handsome features.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Harry remarked bemused.

Sirius feinted a hurt look placing his hand over his heart taking a dramatic stance. "Oh you wound me Harry!"

The bespectacled boy shook his head, rolling his eyes at the other's antic. Amusing as it was watching his godfather acting all over the top, and Harry did personally enjoy it on occasions, since Sirius could be very hilarious when he wanted to. Harry simply wasn't in the mood. Nonetheless, he at least gave him some acknowledgement. "How long do you think it would be before their back? And..." His brows furrowed together as he recalled something. Hadn't Sirius' original gym battle been scheduled during the afternoon? "How long have I been asleep for?"

"Half-past noon," Sirius answered cheerfully, grey eyes dancing rather happily with a giddy smile stretching across his face. "I wondered when you were going to get up, was going to take you myself, mind you. But you looked so peaceful that I decided otherwise." His arms slid up against his chest.

"I'm surprised you didn't considering I was laying next to Volkner," Harry retorted, arching an eyebrow cautiously. He wasn't blind to the sheer hostility between Sirius and Volkner, their entire animosity to one another didn't make much sense to him, in fact, leaving him rather confused to how to hold it. Norman had been kind enough to keep an eye on them and avoid any possible problems that could have broken out. Yet, Harry found himself unable to ask the other for help beyond that mainly due to the belief that he had to figure it out how to deal with the situation himself.

The strained expression on Sirius' face spoke volumes. "...you were sleeping. That's why I didn't do anything," the hidden _yet _did not go unnoticed.

Harry decided to give him points regardless.

"Thanks for that," Harry remarked with a small smile, being thankful of the small favor.

The elder wizard waved his hand dismissively reaching forward to ruffle the dark locks with a large grin watching in glee at the scowl that etched on his face. Harry shot a playful glare fighting to keep his own grin from appearing.

Without warning Sirius removed his hand, smiling widely and raised his hand into the air. Following his gaze his eyes landed upon the small group that was approaching them; Norman, Ash, Brock and Dawn were coming their way. However, something was off. A sense of dread seemed to settle upon him noticing the grim expressions that donned them. Harry's smile slipped into a frown with apprehension and worry.

What had happened?

It became more apparent upon the serious stare that gleamed behind Norman's usually calm and warm eyes, once nearly them he placed a hand upon Sirius' shoulder glancing back at him and murmured something incoherent under his breath. Without a moment's hesitation Sirius motioned him to follow behind heading back into the centre.

Whatever had happened, it was definitely serious.

(1)

Norman was not a stranger when it came to abnormal battles. Being a gym leader and all, it was expected since many trainers developed their own method of training and how the bonds forged with their Pokémon. That was one of the many things that he personally enjoyed as a leader, watching as challenger after challenge that came always brought their own style, in his eyes it was a privilege to be a witness to it. However, not all trainers liked the idea of training, bonding or placing any effort; instead, desiring strong Pokémon from the get-go and viewing anything other than strong as weak and useless. Many a time he had encountered those types of trainers usually, they'd end up learning and growing up from that type of thinking.

Unfortunately, not all of them learned that lessons. One of them being, Paul. Due to his own curiosity he had accompanied Ash and his friends to the Oreburg gym to witness the battle against Roark and Paul, mainly to see if the boy had grown out of his power-hungry and spoiled-like behavior. He had received his answer not too far into the battle.

It had not been too surprising when Paul had chosen to send out Azumarill, gaining the advantage against the rock types that Roark used. The confidence in the boy's stance disgusted Norman. From a well trained eye, despite the type advantage the water type had, due to the zero training that it had received the chances of making it past the first match were highly unlikely. His prediction had come true when Azumarill had been knocked out rather easily by a combination of _Hidden Power _and _Roll Out_, after effectively deflecting the _Hydro Pump _that the water type had used at the start. Roark's rock types knew how to counter water types revealing to him and the others how useless it would be to rely on type advantage alone.

From the corner of his eye, Norman noticed the wheels in Ash's mind quickly turning in order to come out up with a new strategy. He had absolute faith that the young teen would be able to beat Roark in battle.

Not a moment later his body had been enveloped with completely and utter rage, throwing a disapproving glare towards Paul about hearing the insulting remarks to Azumarill. Deeming it '_worthless' _and attached the Pokéball to his belt without much of a second glance or though. The boy's words oozed with haughty arrogance that Norman had seen during their first meeting. Apparently the brat had not learned a thing over the years and had only gotten considerably worse.

As the gym battle continued the sheer cruelty and brutality that Paul had displayed, not only to Roark's Pokémon, but his own as well had been shown without even a hint of remorse. The boy's eyes shined with vicious triumph once his final Pokémon had successfully delivered the final blow to Roark's ending the match. Paul's face had blossomed with a cold, unforgiving smugness that spread across the room like poison. Norman struggled to keep composed in order to not remove that cocky gaze.

Nonetheless Norman had taken solace in the fact that he had not been the only one displeased with Paul's actions as Ash looked positively furious. Dawn merely looked shocked, and slowly trying to digest what she had witnessed while Brock wore a silent mask of disapproval but, like himself, managed to keep himself from saying anything that he would regret. Taking the initiative, he reached out to trip Ash's shoulder preventing the teen from moving, and received a confused look.

Keeping his eyes focused on Ash, Norman shook his head tightly, and frowned. Realization soon flashed through the brown orbs gaining a reluctant nod in return. Exhaling softly, he mentally congratulated himself for avoiding a scene in the gym.

Once the three had recomposed themselves he guided them back towards the gym as silent had settled on them. None of them had any desire to talk about what they had seen.

Norman personally could not blame them for wanting to remain silent, though; he had a feeling that Brock would eventually bring it up to him once the two were alone. As he recalled that the other had been a former gym leader until handing the position back to his father. That had been what May had told him during one of her phone calls back when she travelled with the two. Regardless, having another gym leader to talk over with about it brought some sense of comfort to him; and despite Volkner also being a gym leader himself, Volkner was one of the current region and thus did not want a bias opinion added to the fact he hadn't witnessed the battle either. It would have been rather unfair.

The centre came into view, feeling the ends of his lips tug seeing the act of affection between Sirius and Harry in the distant, he could see them as clear as day. As the gap between them lessened the facial expression Sirius' face had changed into worry, and morbid curiosity.

Once they were close enough he murmured quietly to him. "We need to talk." Without even questioning it, Sirius nodded and began to direct Harry back into the centre. The normal leader ran his hand through his hair sighing ruefully; at least they could take their conversation somewhere private. Ash had opted to go and get some training done but, not before apologizing and heading outside, not that Norman could blame him.

The young teen probably wanted to work off that steam that had been built up and kept inside, at least it was something productive as not before long Brock and Dawn had both excused themselves too. They headed in different directions from one another.

A sense of foreboding crept up his spine as a frown appeared after focusing his attention back to the discussion at hand. The three settled into Sirius' room, oddly enough, Volkner remained sleeping back on the Centre couch.

Norman was unsure whether or not the laugh. It was fairly tempting.

"What's wrong?" Harry inquired, sitting on the bed uncertainty. His emerald pools gleamed guardedly, and watched with apprehension and worry.

Sirius frowned, sharing similar sentiments. "Spill the beans, Norman."

How was he to put this? While coming to the decision to bring the topic up with Volkner, and in turn, was now speaking with Harry and Sirius. Clearing his throat Norman inhaled slowly. "I witnessed the gym battle against Roark and Paul today, it..." He sighed heavily. "The boy was cruel, plain and simple. Insulting his own Pokémon and brutally attacking Roark's. He even seemed to enjoy causing pain to them. It was...disgusting." He said, pressing his lips together thinly. "I've battled him before a year or so before battling Ash. Back then he just acted spoiled rather than cruel, but now..."

"Now he's become something even worse." Sirius finished, cutting him off darkly.

Norman nodded in agreement. "Paul is known through the Hoenn region for causing problems and even in the Kanto region too. One gym leader, Blaine, tried to get his licenses suspended."

"But we know that didn't happen." Harry said, appearing pensive. His eyes narrowed in humourless amusement. "The similarities are almost funny. He sounds like the Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape of this place!" letting out a sarcastic snort.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Draco Malfoy? Severus Snape?"

"Draco Malfoy was a boy that I knew back home. Very spoiled and through himself superior because of his blood status of a 'noble'," Harry began flushing. His arm moved to the back of his neck and rubbed in a shy manner. "Whenever something didn't go his own way he'd complain to his father, make that threat or spewing insults. He wasn't dangerous, but he did have murderous intentions."

Sirius glanced him in surprise. "Wait really?"

"Second year," The raven haired teen answered shortly. He continued afterwards once Sirius arched an eyebrow coaxing the teen into talking. "Ron and I heard him admit that he wanted to help this so-called heir of Slytherin kill off those that weren't pureblood. He mentioned Hermione."

That caused Norman's blood to run absolutely cold. Just what type of school had Harry attended in the past? He didn't entirely understand everything that the teen had said, but he understood the gist of it. As aristocracy existed, as did royalty in some parts of the world, and they did have a tendency to look down on others from time to time. But to go out and say that they actually wanted to kill someone based of their blood? No words could express the amount of stupidity. And the fact that a child had said that? What the hell had his parents been thinking!

It made him wonder what type of place the two had come from and why things were like that. Even so, Norman knew snippets of Sirius' life when they had first met back in Sunyshore. The details themselves had not been that much other than the other man had been involved in a fight against his cousin, whom had tried to kill him. Literally. And ultimately failed. Other than that Sirius never spoke about his before, with the exception of his age, which Norman had discovered they were roughly around the same age with them both being in their thirties. Norman had never pushed further about Sirius' past, it was not any of his business. Yet, that must be why he felt so happy.

This was the first time he was learning about them and their hopes before. As childish as it sounded, Norman felt grateful.

"And who's Severus Snape?"

A groan passed through Sirius' teeth burying his hand into his face. Harry shook his head wearing a look that appeared to be a mixture of being uncomfortable and annoyed. He had brought up a touchy subject? His head titled slightly to the right.

"Severus Snape used to be one of my teachers back at the school I attended. Long story short he hates and despises my existence because of my father and Sirius," Harry stated ruefully. "My father, Sirius and two other friends of theirs never really...got a long you could say."

What was Harry implying exactly?

"That's an understatement of the year. I'll admit that we did antagonise him back when we were teenagers but, so did he!" Sirius defended holding his hand up in defense. "He was the one that started all the fighting anyway, Snape attacked James from behind and left him needing glasses from second year and up!" His tone filled with vehemently, and a small tint of anger. His eyes held nothing but honestly in them. "He was just as guilty as we were. None of us were innocent."

"We weren't saying that you were Sirius and besides, you were a child back then." Norman reassured removing himself from the seat and placing his hands onto shoulders. A gentle smile touched his face wanting to bring back to the other man. "If anything, this Snape person is guilty for being unable to let go of a schoolboy grudge and continuing it through a fifteen year old. You grew up where he did not."

A soft expression wash all over Sirius' face as he returned the smile. "Thank you," He whispered quietly, and sincerely.

No more words were needed between them on the subject exchanging smiles instead. It soon came to an end at the sound of an awkward cough, their eyes instantly zeroed in on Harry, whom casually raised an eyebrow at them.

"Er, right then." Norman coughed. "So then..." What was he going to say again? He cursed his mind for leaving him the moment he needed it.

"If you're really concerned about this Paul guy, shouldn't we ask Volkner to contact his fellow gym leaders and warn them about him?" Harry brought up, shrugging his shoulders. "That way they can determine what should be done with him, if they think he's out of line?"

That sounded relatively reasonable and it would provide them information.

"In that case," Norman began. "Who wants to wake Volkner up?"

He was met with a Meowth like grin on Sirius' face. The dark haired man rubbed his hands together letting out a hum leaving the room and heading to the Centre's living area. Harry and himself rolled their eyes in unison exchanging looks before following after the man.

Hopefully he wouldn't do something mean to Volkner. Too mean anyway.

(2)

"Corphish I want you to use _crabhammer _on Totodile and you, Totodile use _slash _in return." Ash instructed. The two water types facing off against each other, the eagerness rolled off their bodies visibly. "Just try not to hurt each other beyond the use of a Potion or two, okay?"

Ash cracked a grin upon hearing the happy cheers from the two, shaking his head bemused he moved to the side in order to gain a good view of the training battle. With that out of the way, Corphish made the first move lunging at Totodile. The reptile danced his way out of danger, spinning around managing to whack his tail against the other's face. His arm raised into the air, flashing a bright light and sharpened considerably, before lowering it. The attack collided with Corphish's _crabhammer_. An intense struggle to dominate one another began until the build-up of power forced both of the retreating backwards by a few feet. Not a moment sooner Corphish once again took the initiative. Throwing his arms forwards, charging the attack; his arms began to swing around, and around, and around.

Totodile giggled uncontrollably shutting his eyes as he began to clap rather animatedly. Clearly he was enjoying the battle using his legs to push him forward back into the fray of battle. The red eyes sharpened his attack at the ready, striking forward. Both attacks clashed again, this time Totodile pushed Corphish's arms apart, almost sending the other off balance and exploited the opening created. Quite happily, Totodile pulled his head back and unleashed a powerful _water gun_. The attack hit dead on sending the other water type crashing straight into the tree.

Corphish's eyes rolled to the back of his head rendering him unconscious.

Ash released a short sigh, pulling out the Hoenn Pokémon's Pokéball and returning it. "Thank you for all your work today Corphish," He stated with a smile reattaching the ball to his belt, turning towards Totodile. "I think that's enough for today, Totodile. Thanks for today." He gave a kind smile, chuckling as the reptile jumped into the air excitedly and clapped his hands together returning to the ball. Pikachu laid on his shoulder nuzzle against him. "Yeah, I think the same. Today was a good training session."

They had spent the last several hours training, trying to come up with a way to overcome Roark. In the past Ash had battled his fair share of rock types, such as Brock's and the Hoenn gym leader, Roxanne's. Still, Ash did not want to leave it to chance and after he had witnessed, he desired to win without resorting to the cruel methods Paul used.

It was not a secret that Ash did not entirely hold the other teen in high regard, and admittedly he did view him as a powerful opponent. However, in view of the events had come to light, disgust and anger were the only things that he felt towards Paul. If it had not been for Norman he could have unleashed a tongue lashing. Not that would have solved anything. Battle appeared to be the only solution given the pompous attitude that Paul had and his hunger for power. That was fine with Ash. After all he enjoyed a good battle just as much as the next trainer.

That being said, he had taken the advice that Norman had given him and grabbed Corphish as well as Totodile back from the lab having a complete team of six on him. Despite two of them being water types, it was an advantage over Roark's rock types. He knew that type advantage alone wasn't everything and didn't guarantee victory, nevertheless a little insurance never hurt. Plus, Ash didn't want to subject Pikachu and Staravia into danger. While he had completely faith in their abilities, he'd rather be safe instead of sorry.

Though trying to explain it to Pikachu was going to be a pain as his partner seemed gung-ho about the gym battle. Ash knew that Pikachu would understand...hopefully.

The sound of his growling stomach snapped him out his thoughts flushing brightly and exchanged an embarrassed grin with Pikachu, whom mirrored his grin. "I think we can call it a night," Ash stated folding his hands to his neck. "It's time to grab something to eat. I'm starving!"

(3)

Two days flew by quickly, Sirius ended up splitting his time between training with his team and with his godson, and lastly spending the rest of it around Norman. Sirius still did not feel confident to taking on Roark, opting to instead request the leader for a few more days before challenging him officially. Roark had been kind enough to allow it since the extra time could be put to the museum and the fossil exhibition. The leader even said that Sirius was welcome to inform him whenever he felt ready.

That had brought Sirius peace of mind knowing that he didn't need to rush into challenging the gym. And the fact that he had a number of good sparring partners made it even better, not only were Norman and Harry giving him a hand at it, but the kid, Ash also offered his assistance. It had been rather surprising since they met just a few days prior. Nonetheless Sirius was grateful to get as much help as he could. He enjoyed battles even more so than Quidditch, though truth be told he wasn't nearly as a fanatic as James had been, unlike many people assumed. Did he enjoy the sport? Obviously. But, Sirius could function without it. That being said, he had been deeply enraged when that bitch Umbridge had removed Harry from his spot on the team unjustly.

That had also been the exact same night where Harry confessed, after calming down and thinking over it, he had discovered the reason he had gotten so angry had nothing to do with the team. Rather, the fact that Umbridge had confiscated the broom that Sirius had given him for Christmas.

By no means was Harry a materialistic person as Sirius had come to learn. Nevertheless, his godson cherished objects the held great sentimental attachment to him such as the photo album and his father's invisibility cloak he had gotten from Dumbledore and Hagrid respectably. It warmed Sirius' heart to hear that Harry placed the Firebolt on the same level as the other two, he never knew. Harry usually kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself, to hear that from his godson meant a great deal to him. Harry was the closest thing he had to a son just as Sirius knew he was the closest thing to a father for Harry. All he wanted for his godson was for him to be happy.

Above all his godson deserved happiness, after the hell he had been forced to endure. And, as painful as it was to admit, Volkner seemed to be a part of that happiness. That much was clear much to Sirius' annoyance, the blond was an asset to their little rag-tag team both as a friend and a trainer, however, he knew that the leader's feeling for his godson was far beyond friendship. Volkner had acknowledged that fact. However, Sirius was not about to make it easy for him no way he'd let Harry be carried away without some form of a fight.

Without warning the ground shook violently, hearing the echoes of an explosion and horrified screams ringing through his ears. Sirius' head snapped towards the source of the sounds as a frown etched on his face. A series of emotions ran through him once realizing that Harry, Norman and the others were in that general direction. His body dashed forward without much of a second thought.

His hands gripped a Pokéball strapped at his hip. Maybe his new friend would be of assistance...

(4)

"What on earth was that?" Volkner groaned, eyes staring pointedly towards the sound of the explosion. His lips curled into a tight, thin frown and his brows knitted together in concern. A tingle of apprehension ran through his body, whatever had happened the leader pondered to go check. As it was not any of his business, overall the city was under Roark's jurisdiction. His mind rationalized that the cause had nothing more than Roark's co-workers using explosives needing to blow something up in order to make progress. Once that thought had settled in he had returned back to his business, eyes focus on the documentary on the TV.

The screams of civilians snapped him back to reality, jump over the couch and sprint outside. Electric blue orbs darted around until they had spotted a large black cloud of smoke in the sky, oddly the smoke appeared to have been coming from the museum.

Volkner gritted his teeth together. A single conclusion passed through his mind, his blood boiled angrily. "Thieves," He snarled out venomously, if there was one thing that Volkner hated it was criminals. There was no time to lose proceeding to make a mad dash to the museum, Roark and his co-workers would most likely be there trying to find the culprits and calm the public. He felt rather horrible for Roark, being forced to deal with this of all things and of all times. Logically, Volkner doubted that the ones responsible had gotten a way, wanting to indulge in the chaos and havoc that had been unleashed on the city. His eyes narrowed feral-like, he'd make sure to make them regret that choice.

Using Luxray it took mere minutes to arrive at the destination. To his surprise, Roark wasn't alone. Officer Jenny stood beside two of the scientists, not that Volkner knew their names, but also Ash and his friends were there along with Harry and Norman. Skidding on the ground he gained the other's attention, removing himself from Luxray and made his way over towards them.

"Volkner!" Roark sounded surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Volkner felt a stab at the redhead's words. He had actually thought he wouldn't show up? Then again, it had been expected. He disliked getting involved in other people's affairs unless it involved his city or an emergency. In the end the fault belonged to him. "I came to help. Mind giving me an update on the situation?" He requested.

"Huh? Oh, right. Someone's revived a few of the ancient Pokémon; Kabutops, Aerodactyl and lastly Armaldo." The miner informed him professional. "The helicopters are chasing over Aerodactly as we speak and we've managed to locate Armaldo and Kabutops. We're heading there now, we can't afford to wait anyway longer." His tone was brisk, filled with worry. Not that Volkner could blame him. The destruction the ancient Pokémon could cause was absolutely disasters. "Can your Pokémon handle rock types?"

A smirk slid on his features nodding sharply. "Of course," Volkner remarked, giving a sharp nod. "I can deal with them easy."

Roark arched an eyebrow, amused. "I'm glad to see that you're so confident in your abilities, Volkner. I'm counting on you."

"No worries," The blond reassured sharply, and frowned. "I think it might be best to split into teams that way Aerodactyl is covered." That way none of them lost sight of the fossil Pokémon, and they didn't fall into the wrong hands.

"I'll go searching for it," Harry's voice cut in before anyone could make any objects. A determined gaze appeared on his face. "Volkner and I can take him on-"

"And me," a voice interrupted Harry. Everyone turned to see Sirius standing there looking none too amused. "Three people have a better at taking it down, right? It leaves the rest to focus on the other two." His arms rested against his chest eyeing them, almost challenging someone to disagree with him.

A spark of annoyance surged through Volkner forcing a strained smile on his face. "That...sounds good." It did actually, now that he was thinking about it more clearly.

Sirius had a type advantage over Aerodactyl by having Turtwig on him and Chatot provided a means to track the ancient pokémon. Compared to combat abilities the flying type probably could keep up with the fossil, due to it being revived and obvious disoriented from the revival process, the chances of them being able to defeat it with minimal damage to the city looked even better.

"That leaves the rest of us taking on Armaldo and Kabutops," Roark stated, nodding swiftly and switched his attention to Jenny and the two scientists. "Can you tell us the current location of the two?"

One of the scientists nodded looking at the keyboard as his fingers flew on the keyboard. His eyes narrowed in concentration before his brows shut upwards and gapped in shock.

"It seems that Armaldo and Kabutops have separated, Roark!" He exclaimed, uneasily.

"Thankfully, we're not too far from here and Aerodactly is just farther away from the two. Armaldo is near the forest and Kabutops is trailing up on the path up ahead."

Roark cursed loudly. "Alright. Volkner, Harry and Sirius you three go and find Aerodactly!"

"Norman and I will take on Kabutops," Brock volunteered, raising his hand. The normal leader nodded agreeing.

Ash sighed ruefully. "Leaving Dawn, Roark and I looking after Armaldo," Pikachu let out a cry as he looked at the other two nodding sharply before darting off. Dawn flagged behind not a moment sooner as did Roark, whom waved at the others, fading in the distance.

Norman and Brock exchanged sharp nods heading towards their destination with Officer Jenny yelling and chasing behind the two leaving the scientists huddled together at the machine. Utterly unaware of the prying eyes focused upon them, not until it had been far too late.

Darkness claimed them without a second thought.

(5)

"Piplup use _bubble beam!_" Dawn cried out, her starter Pokémon fired the stream of bubbles towards Armaldo, whom they had managed to locate rather quickly. Being a dual type of rock and bug, using a water based attack seemed like the logical thing to do.

Unfortunately, the fossil Pokémon anticipated the attack retaliating with _mud sport _rendering the penguin Pokémon's _bubble beam _useless. Not wasting any time, the arms flashed brightly flying forwards slamming it's arms into Piplup, sending him backwards and plopping on the ground. Piplup was not about to give up the fight, forcing himself back up and glared openly at the fossil Pokémon letting out a sharp chirp. His beck grew in size glittering white before flinging himself towards Armaldo. The opponent thrust his head forward unleashing a powerful burst of water swallowing the penguin whole, and interrupting Piplup's attack as the miniature bird fell onto the ground leaving him exposed to a follow-up attack.

"W-what attack was that? I didn't know Armaldo could use water attacks!" Dawn exclaimed, stunned to what she had witnessed before snapping back. A look of horror soon spread on her face. "Piplup, no! Get out of there quickly!" Her eyes widened with fear unable to tear away, hands covering her mouth. Armaldo's unleashed another brutal attack that had sent her friend straight into the air. Suddenly, she felt her legs move on their own accord rushing to catch Piplup, eyes trained on her Pokémon and gleaming with worry.

Dawn leaped into the air arms outwards managing to catch her Pokémon, holding up closely as she let out a relieved sigh. "I'm so glad that you're okay Piplup."

The penguin pokémon weakly raised his hand. "Pi-ip..." His eyes closed, snuggling into Dawn's embrace bringing a warm smile to her face.

"Leave Armaldo to us Dawn!" Ash informed her, pulling out a Pokéball from his belt. "Let's go Corphish!" A flash of blue light emerged from the ball revealing the crab-like Pokémon. "Alright Corphish use _bubble beam_!"

Roark tossed his own Pokéball forward. "I'll back you up, Cranidos use _flamethrower!_"

The two Pokémon worked as a team with Cranidos going first unleashing the _flamethrower _then Corphish followed behind him by using a powerful _bubble beam_, the two attacks engulfed Armaldo in a flurry of fire and water. Smoke penetrated the air not to long after the attacks made direct hits. However, Roark and Ash remained vigilant keeping a defensive stance eyeing the spot where the fossil Pokémon stood. Defeating Armaldo felt easy. Too easy, the two didn't want to let their guard down.

Several moments passed of complete, utter silence with the smoke remaining in the air though slowly beginning to fade. Ash and Roark exchanged glances as Roark approached where the fossil Pokémon lay cautiously; his ever faithful Cranidos standing in front of him offering some form of protection to the miner.

Armaldo rested quietly on the ground seemingly appearing unconscious. Kneeling down Roark placed his hand on the fossil Pokémon, letting out a relieved sigh. He threw a smile towards Ash. "Looks like we're done here, Ash!" Roark stated with a grin on his face, pulling a Pokéball from his belt.

Suddenly, Armaldo's eyes snapped open releasing a powerful cry that pierced the skies. The shock had overcome Roark had been dangerous, the fossil moved much quicker than he had and slashed him. The leader let out a strangled cry, hurtling through the air until he landed on the ground with a loud thump. The impact forced Roark into unconsciousness, laying quietly behind Ash. The teen gritted his teeth throwing the Pokémon an angry stare.

"Dawn," He murmured seriously, eyes focused on the opponent at hand. "I want you to look after Roark for me, alright? I'll handle Armaldo."

Dawn threw him an uncertain stare. "B-but Ash!"

"Just do it!" Ash snapped at her, his tone filled with nonsense deterring his attention to his friend. The stare lingered on her as she gave a timid nod in response, satisfied he placed his focus back into Armaldo. Corphish moved over to Cranidos standing right next to him, Pikachu leaped from his shoulder to join in on the fray. It was now a three on one battle. Unfair? Probably, nevertheless it was for a good reason. "Corphish, Pikachu, Cranidos we have to take Armaldo down and quickly! Corphish use _crabhammer! _Pikachu follow up with _iron tail _and don't use any electric attacks!"

In unison the two nodded before turning to the battle at hand, Cranidos decided to use another _flamethrower _on Armaldo, who raised its arms to protect its self from the attack. As the flames began to die down the fossil pokémon cut through the weakening flames, lunging towards Cranidos, whom slammed his tail in response. The dinosaur's face narrowed struggling to overpower his opponent, shutting his eyes tightly while forcing himself to fight back while feeling the pressure of the blade-like arms pushing back against him. Thankfully, Pikachu dashed to Cranidos' aid spinning around and slammed the _iron tail _into Armaldo's head releasing Cranidos from the hold. The electric rodent did a back flip back onto the ground grinning cheekily at the other.

Taking the advantage of Armaldo's opening Corphish threw his arm forwards giving the fossil Pokémon a taste of the equivalent to an uppercut. Proud of his achievement the crab held his arms up happily, however, the other Pokémon refused to go down that easily. Armaldo regained its composure making a swipe at Corphish. Seeing the attack coming Cranidos slammed his head against the arm allowing Corphish to blast Armaldo with a _bubble beam _effectively blinding the fossil Pokémon leaving it exposed as the dinosaur charged with a _Zen Headbutt _knocking Armaldo off balance once again.

"Alright nice team work you guys!" Ash praised with a grin on his face. Once those words left his mouth his eyes widened watching the bright blue light surrounded Cranidos, his jaw nearly dropped to what he was witnessing.

The dinosaur Pokémon grew in size towering over him, Cranidos' skin had grown darker becoming pure black and grew sharp spikes on his knees. Blue rings formed around nearly the end of his tail and around the spikes on his legs and arms, with a sharp blue strip going down the back. The blue head shrink in size but became sharper with spikes forming around it and the red eyes narrowed. He stared in awe pulling out his Pokédex.

_"Rampardos, the Head Butt Pokémon. The evolved form of Cranidos, Rampardos' skull is said to be so powerful that is hard as iron and capable of destroying the sturdiest of objects."_The Pokédex beeped informatively before falling silent.

Ash felt a large grin to appear on his face. The fact he had been allowed to witness such an event was awesome! However, at the same time he felt rather bad that Roark hadn't been able to witness the evolution of his own Pokémon...his eyes shut briefly and fell silent. "Rampardos," As he gained the evolved Pokémon's attention. "We have to win this battle for Roark!" He called out. The positive cry from the dinosaur brought a smirk to his face, his eyes narrowed. "Let's end this!"

Rampardos roared furiously, kicking the ground eagerly with Pikachu and Corphish standing on both sides of the dinosaur Pokémon. The fossil Pokémon seemed to understand that it no longer had the advantage; however, it refused to go down.

"Corphish! Pikachu!" Ash cried. "_Vice grip _and _Iron tail!_"

Rampardos took the leader of the three slamming his head into Armaldo's stomach, Pikachu ran up via the tail leaping off Rampardos whacking downwards with his _iron tail _nearly sending the fossil Pokémon crashing down onto the ground. It was Corphish's turn as the grab gripped both of Armaldo's arms, starting to rotate around, and around and around, lifting the rock bug type slightly above around. The speed increased hurriedly becoming a blur, Corphish's eyes narrowed throwing Armaldo roughly forwards.

The final attack came from Rampardos. The dinosaur Pokémon pulled his head back and unleashed a powerful _flamethrower _that had been much bigger from the previous ones. The flames left burnt marks on the grounds, the trees and even the boulders. Thankfully, that had been the last of Armaldo's strength as the fossil Pokémon fought to remain standing only to collapse onto its chest.

Ash pulled the front of his hat backwards, picking a Pokéball from his belt and tossing it at Armaldo. The fossil Pokémon got absorbed into the Pokéball, dropping onto the ground and began to wiggle back and forth. Ash pressed his lips together watching anxiously, as a loud _bing_ echoed. A grin instantly grew on his face making his way over to the Pokéball holding it up high into the air. The capture had been successful as the Pokéball glow brightly vanishing back to the lab, nodding in satisfaction his eyes drifted to Dawn and Roark.

Rampardos already made his way there nuzzling his master gently.

"How is he?" Ash asked in concern, approaching the two kneeling down staring worriedly. Roark looked rather peaceful wearing a faint smile on his lips, probably because he was having a nice dream. His eyes softened upon seeing the expression. He knew that Roark would be even happier to know that Armaldo had successfully been dealt with. Now how'd Roark react to Ash having captured the pokémon? Well, Roark appeared to be the laid back type from what he had seen so hopefully he wouldn't mind too much.

Dawn had the back of her hand resting on Roark's forehead. "He isn't burning up," She said, relieved. "My guess is he'll be up and about in at least a half-hour or so."

Ash could sigh with relief at hearing those words. He was glad to know that Roark was would be alright; his attention lingered on him for another brief moment slowly moving to where the others were. He hoped that everyone else was having better luck then they did.

"A-Ash!" Dawn's voice snapped Ash out of his thoughts turning towards her curiously. Why had seen been shouting? Eyeing her curiously, her hand pointed behind him, arching an eyebrow Ash followed the direction to where she pointed to. As he did so, he was met with a miraculous sight.

(6)

Norman felt the urge to sigh watching in bemused as Brock's Sudowoodo went face to face against the escaped Kabutops. The two were evenly matched clashing fiercely, wanting to dominate and defeat the other with strength alone. Brock had continued to issues orders that had gone unheeded before the other had come to realize what had been going on and joined him in watching. In the beginning it had been a two on one having sent out his Slaking to back up Brock's Sudowoodo until Kabutops and the tree-like Pokémon had broken out into a one on one fight, thus in the ended Norman had recalled Slaking. After being a gym leader for many years he had come to understand Pokémon behaviour.

The fossil Pokémon and the tree Pokémon placed both hands into the other and began pushing at each other. The snarls, the grunts and hisses carried onto the wind eventually reaching their ears. Obviously, the fight was going to continue until one fell to the other.

Even Norman couldn't predict whom was going to win. While his knowledge of the rejuvenation process varied and narrowed, he could tell that the Kabutops was relatively new both in revival and youth just as Sudowoodo was young. As from what he understood, had just recently evolved. However, he was well aware that the two Pokémon definitely had a considerable amount of battling experience under their belts. It would definitely be interesting to see who won in the end.

"Sudowoodo..." Brock stared at his Pokémon, gripping his hands into fists.

The older leader placed his hand onto the younger man's shoulder. "Calm down Brock, have faith in your Pokémon. You've trained him well." Norman reassured the other man with a gentle smile. "Sudowoodo won't go down so easily."

"...I hope so," Brock whispered, his eyes fixated at the battle in front of them.

"Worse comes to worse I'll send in Slaking to finish Kabutops off. But only if Sudowoodo is defeated." Norman interjected professionally. Neither of them could afford letting Kabutops escape any further, though, he preferred to inflict as little damage to the fossil Pokémon as much as possible. Nonetheless something's were unavoidable.

Brock's brown knitted together. "Uh...thanks?" Apparently, he didn't know whether his words were an insult or not.

"That said," Norman added succinctly. "I don't think it will be necessary for me to intervene."

A confused look formed on Brock's face clearly not understanding. However, the former leader did not get a chance to react as a loud sound enraptured their attention and focused their attention back onto the fight. Sudowoodo stumbled backwards holding his stomach; Kabutops blasted a faint breeze of cold wind which collided into the tree Pokémon and ramming forward head first into Sudowoodo's chest continuing to tumble over. Sudowoodo shrieked angrily fighting back to get out of Kabutops' hold while at the same time trying to hold the fossil Pokémon down and avoid getting attacked again. Sudowoodo's eyes narrowed dodging the swipes that Kabutops made at him, the frustration was beginning to show on his face.

"C'mon Sudowoodo you can do it!" Brock cheered on, throwing his arm into the air. "I know you can!"

The praise from Brock seemed to aid Sudowoodo as the rock type slammed his hands down sealing the movement of the fossil Pokémon's arms. Inhaling the tree Pokémon snipped Kabutops with a string of _bullet seed _to knock the other out before finishing him off with a _psywave _attack.

"That...was kinda anti-climactic," Brock remarked, flatly somewhat bewildered.

The older man hummed softly strolling towards the fossil.

"Should we really be concerned about that? What's important is the fact that Kabutops isn't running around and causing massive havoc anymore." Norman turned to him. "How many Pokémon do you have on you right now?"

"H-huh? Oh I have Croagunk and Sudowoodo. Why do you ask?" A frown slipped on Brock's features.

"Well do you want to do the honors?" Norman inquired gesturing towards the fainted Pokémon. "Besides, you are more of a rock type expert then I am."

"Should we really be doing that? Roark may not be too happy about it." Brock commented, uncertain leaked in his tone and frowned. His concerns were sounded especially since the Pokémon in question had come from the museum.

"You could always give the Pokéball to Roark once we rejoin the others," the normal leader answered. "Besides I'd think he'd much prefer them to be in same hands opposed to the wrong wouldn't you agree?"

The younger man remained silent for a few moments, nodding his head slowly in agreement as he pulled a Pokéball from his belt and tossed it at Kabutops. Once making contact the ball fell onto the ground wiggling vibrantly before coming to a stop and echoing a loud _bing_ through the air. A grin appeared on the former gym leader's face picking up the ball, a glimmer of satisfaction passed through the squinted eyes as Brock placed the Pokéball back onto his belt.

Norman stroked his chin. "Now all that needs to be done is find the criminals who did this?"

"Probably Team Rocket," Brock stated dryly, arching an eyebrow.

"...Are they still following Ash and you?"

"Unfortunately, They're adamant at trying to capture Pikachu and all of our Pokémon, hell, when we arrived in Sinnoh they made this bogus gym and tried to take our Pokémon while handing out fake badges," Brock shook his head, a wary smile appeared. "Still, at least I was able to meet Croagunk there."

"Is that so?" Norman had to give the three's credit for their tenacious at thievery, though, if he came across them again a great deal of pain would be involved. After what those thieves had done back in Hoenn; to his children and his family, a chance to teach those three a lesson would one deserved. "I think we should try hunting them down." He stated, with a smirk on his face holding up a Pokéball from his belt. "And I have the Pokémon to do it!"

Brock eyed him curiously and slowly began to mirror the smile on the older man's face.

(7)

The throbbing pain that was annoyance slammed into him as Harry watched in exasperation at Volkner and Sirius snipping, bickering and glaring at one another. Heated glares exchanged between them while the harsh tones could be heard from miles, and miles away. At this point he wouldn't have been surprised if Aerodactyl had flown the coop.

Was it really that hard for them to get along just this once?

"We should head this way we'll get a better view of the city if we do," Volkner remarked beginning to head down one path until Sirius had knocked into him. The blonde shot him an irritated stare. "What the hell was what for?"

Sirius snorted harshly, and turned his back sharply to the blond. "Chatot went this way so there's where I'm going."

"The path I chose will lead us to get a better view of the city," Volkner shot back angrily.

"Oh yes," Sirius drawled out, and pinned a pointed stare at the leader. "Let's waste even more time as it is and have Aerodactyl fly off to who knows where. Brilliant idea Volkner, simply brilliant!" sarcasm oozed in his words, and clearly unimpressed at the suggestion. "You can go and do what you like, but Harry and I are going to go this way and find that Pokémon. C'mon Harry," as he quickened his pace to the path Chatot had flown down not even waiting for him to catch up.

Seriously, did he even get a word in anything anymore?

Volkner seemed to share that sentiment slamming his foot onto the ground. "Why the hell should Harry do everything that you say? Besides, he's coming with me!"

"Like hell he is!" Sirius snapped glaring at him darkly, and approached hurriedly over to him. He jabbed his finger into Volkner's chest. "I am his guardian; I know what's best unlike a certain someone!" Each word that had been said went in tandem with the poking. "And I'm older thus much wiser then you, boy."

"You? Wise? Don't make me laugh." Volkner snarked.

Sirius arched an eyebrow. "I'm wiser then you brat."

"I've yet to see it."

At that moment Harry was certain that Sirius was about to strangle Volkner right then and there. A blaze of fury ignited in the grey orbs, low growls and snarled reached Harry's ears though had gone ignored. His attention shifted at the two. Harry couldn't help but feel other than embarrassed at their childish antics. It wasn't surprising to say the least as he had suspected that one day a fight would have broken out between the two, however, the fact it had to happen now of all times was not something Harry was happy about. And by the looks of things it didn't seem as if the two were going to stop any time soon. Letting out a heavy sigh, Harry quietly making himself scarce, slowly backing away from them as he carefully decided to hide within the trees.

Peering back and took note of the obliviousness of Volkner and Sirius to his lack of presence, he shook his head in tandem of rolling his eyes. If they were too preoccupied with arguing with one another then Harry doubted that the two wouldn't notice if he went on his own. Digging his hand into his pocket bringing out his wand, it laid quietly on his palm.

"Point me Aerodactyl," Harry whispered lowly, watching and looked pensive. The wand spun in his hands going around, and around before coming to a halt in one direction. It did not point to either path that Volkner and Sirius had tried to go down, why was he not surprised? Sliding his wand back into his pocket Harry ventured forwards but not before taking another glance behind. Not even a minute later and they were already punching each other. "...Whatever."

He dashed forwards immersing himself deeper into the forest as Harry used his wand to guide him to Aerodactyl. However, the farther in he got into the forest the less he needed, the fossil Pokémon's cries started out faint but had eventually became clearer and louder. Bringing out Nidorino for his safety upon getting seeing a glimpse of grey from the Pokémon in question; before setting off Harry had checked his Pokédex for the three Pokémon that had escaped, just to get a good imagine of them and to know what he was dealing with. It had been a good move on his part turning his head upwards seeing the winged behemoth over them. The fossil Pokémon flew rather lowly, exhausted from awakening from its rejuvenation, he assumed running with Nidorino by his side attempting to keep up with Aerodactyl.

"There has to be some way we could get its attention," Harry murmured, pressing his lips thinly together. Emerald eyes flickered back to his poison type. "Nidorino would you think your _poison sting _would be able to reach Aerodactly?"

Nidoran snort cockily and flashed a smirk at Harry. "Nido!"

"I knew I could count on you, Nidoran." Harry bent down, petting the poison type with a smile on his face. His eyes darted back up to where Aerodactyl was; thankfully the fossil was still in plain sight and not too far from where they were. "Alright on three use _poison sting_," timing was everything; Harry didn't want to risk missing. "One...two..." His eyes narrowed. "THREE!"

On command Nidorino sent a flurry of thin, barely seen lights directly towards the target. Aerodactyl screeched loudly at the attack and began to flap it's wings angrily, waving it's head rapidly until landing upon their current location before unleashing a cry again. Swopping upwards into the sky Aerodactyl's body began to flash in an orange light that engulfed it, spinning around and around, violet streaks of energy began to appear at the tip before the fossil Pokémon rotated downwards. Tilting backwards to charge up the attack Aerodactyl unleashed the attack furiously as the violet beams of light charged at Harry and Nidorino, as the two dodged the assault.

The dust clouds formed blocked their line of sight. Harry placed an arm over his mouth trying to prevent any coughing as his eyes squinted in an attempt of peering through the clouds. Suddenly, a pair of claws cut through the clouds, in shock Harry trembled backwards landing on his back. As he hissed sharply, throwing a glare towards Aerodactyl whom turned back ready to unleash another attack on them.

"Nidorino use _poison string _on his wings!" Harry stated, pointing towards the fossil Pokémon.

Following through the poison type repeated the previous attack firing towards the wings. Aerodactly wrapped the wings around the body concealing it from the attack, despite that a grunt of pain came from the nostrils. The fossil Pokémon opened its mouth unleashing a multi-coloured beam at Nidorino, hitting dead on, as a confused expression appeared on the poison type. Nidorino began stumbling around unable to focus as he rammed straight into the tree next to it.

"C'mon Nidorino snap out of it!" Harry called to his Pokémon, and watched powerlessly as Nidorino continued to struggle to walk. He knew what had happened, Nidorino had become confused. One of the status effects he had heard about it. "Please Nidorino!"

Unfortunately, his words were unable to reach Nidorino as the Pokémon began to spin around on the ground completely unaware of the world around him. A sigh escaped from his lips snapping his hand upwards returning the poison type back to his Pokéball, that way he would be safe and out of harm's way. Pichu wouldn't be able to do anything due to being an electric type plus he was still a newborn and lacked the experience needed to take on Aerodactyl, which left him only Bagon to use. Tossing the Pokéball up in the air as a bright light emerged from it and formed into Bagon, whom let out a yawn and stretched it's small arms before falling into a battle stance upon seeing Aerodactyl.

"Bagon start off with _dragon rage _and then _hidden power_!"

Bagon began to glow brightly, and his eyes narrowed slowly pulsing a blood-like red color as he unleashed a powerful roar coated in the same shade of red that collided straight into Aerodactyl, knocking the fossil Pokémon back crashing onto the ground loudly. Not giving the other Pokémon a chance to move, summoning rocks that circled around the dragon type before they hurtled towards the ancient Pokémon. Each rock hit Aerodactly in some fashion, one clobbering it in the head while the others successful aided in rendering the other unconscious before fading away in an obscure flash of light.

It was strange victory to say the least as Harry assumed that the fossil Pokémon would have put up a better fight then it had. However, from flying around and all the havoc that Aerodactyl had caused must have exhausted it greatly; or perhaps Bagon and Nidorino were simply stronger then the ancient pokémon. Though, he had no proof thus preferring not to question the good luck that had shown itself. Not taking any chances Harry tossed one of his free Pokéballs at Aerodactyl and waited patiently for the ball in question to stop wiggling.

At least that had brought the end to the crisis once hearing the loud bing.

With that over and done with Harry returned to the place where Volkner and Sirius had been. To his relief that two had stopped fighting by the time had gotten back as Sirius frantically began to fret over him, making sure that he hadn't been injured, and Volkner simply wore a relieved smile. Harry had to admit that the blond looked better with a smile on his face, much better. Not too much later had they rejoined up with the others gathered at where they had met up before splitting off; Roark was sitting upwards unconscious as one of the scientists, whom looked rather banged up, was carefully treating the leader as signs of life became apparent; seeing the redhead's eyes twitched irritably in plain sight.

After hearing the story from Brock and Norman, apparently once they head split off three criminals simply known as Team Rocket had attempted to kidnap the two and tied them up forcing them to give access to the storage back at the museum. Norman and Brock arrived back earlier managing to fight the trio off and free the scientists with little to no problems.

"Urgh..." Roark groaned lowly, slowly his eyes opened and winced visibly moving his arm to his forehead blocking the rays of light. "W...what happened?"

Ash chuckled. "You got knocked unconscious by Armaldo, but Cran...sorry, I mean Rampardos managed to defeat it."

"Rampardos?" Roark blinked rapidly, as the newly evolved Pokémon moved behind him and nudged. The miner's head snapped behind him, his eyes going wide as a smile stretched across his and jumped at his Pokémon. His arms wrapped around the neck of Rampardos hugging him closely. "You evolved Rampardos, you actually evolved!" He cried with happiness, releasing his hold and staring at him. His eyes shined brightly at the sight. "And...I didn't get a chance to witness it."

"Hey," Volkner began gaining his fellow leader's attention, smirking at Roark. "The crisis has been averting. You should be proud that, even though you didn't witness Cranidos evolving into Rampardos, that he managed to take down the threat and save the city."

Roark remained silently staring at Volkner shocked at his words before a gentle smile appeared, nodding slowly. "Yeah, you're right Volkner." Suddenly, he blinked owlishly. "Speaking of which..." His head darted around the area, frowning very deeply. "Where are Armaldo, Aerodactly and Kabutops anyway?"

In unison Brock, Ash and Harry exchanged sheepish smiles. Oh boy, this was going to be a dozy to explain!

* * *

><p>Chapter 12-End.<p>

Sorry for the long awaited chapter everyone, neither my beta and I wanted to hold out on the chapter for this long; however, real life had gotten in the way for both of us. Recently I got a new job that's been taking up most of my time, but I should be back and writing more now. So I want to thank all of my reviewers, my readers and everyone else that has been supporting this fic and helping with, you guys are great!

First thing; this chapter was finished WAY before Pokemon X and Y had been announced, and before Fairy type being introduced, while I might bring up the Kalos region I might make some references to 'Fairy' but until the game comes out the recont Pokemon will be left as they were.

Second thing: Harry DOES have his wand. In chapter 4 or 5 I believe that I mentioned that he 'didn't. THAT is a typo, unfortunately I haven't been able to correct which is why I'm bringing it up in this note. So please keep that in mind!

Harry's party:  
>Bagon<br>Nidorino  
>Pichu<p>

Aerodactyl  
>Type: RockFlying  
>Gender: Female<br>Nature: Mischevious  
>Ability: Rock Head<br>Moves: Wing Attack, Supersonic, Giga Impact,

Sirius' party:  
>Chatot<br>Growlithe  
>Turtwig<br>Uknown Pokemon

Make sure to leave a review on your way out!


	13. Rivalry

Chapter 13: Rivalry

"Urgh I'm glad it's time for lunch, man am I hungry!" Volkner exclaimed, throwing his arms behind his neck casually making his way towards the camp fire. Harry and Norman both worked hard preparing their meal, the older taking cues from the younger, as they reached the end beginning to place the meal onto the plates. A thought clicked in his mind once sitting in the lawn chair. "What _are _we having for lunch anyway?"

"Toast with bacon and eggs." Norman responded rather cheerfully, sitting on the opposing side to him with a smile on his face.

The blond arched a brow, his lips faintly smiling. "Isn't that reserved for breakfast?"

"Usually, yes. But it's the simplest thing to make other then cereal and I don't really count that. And, I don't think there's a person on the planet that doesn't like toast with bacon and eggs," Norman commented with a grin on his face, looking rather pleased with himself and his current accomplishment. The man's culinary skills were at least somewhat better then Volkner, and even more so compared to Sirius; whom always had the nasty habit of burning whatever he touched. Probably the main reason why Harry had become the cook between the four of them, otherwise they'd never eat.

The blond let out a light hum. "You have a point there. Nothing can beat bacon and toast!" Volkner plopped himself into the nearest chair next to the blazing fire, the heat of the flames flew in the air pressing against his body almost making him shiver in pleasure at the warmth that it produced. The electric leader preferred heat opposed to the cold, constantly covering himself up whenever he slept or during the winter. Volkner simply hated to be cold! As his eyes skimmed around rapidly before landing on the object that he had been looking for and leaned forward to grab a bottle of water resting within the container.

"You really do enjoy the water don't you?" Norman mused thoughtfully, his lips twitching in to a faint but genuine smile.

Volkner chugged on the bottle unable to reply at the exact moment, his finger wrapping around the plastic in an almost crushing fashion. The need for oxygen ruled over him. Taking a deep breath as he let out a audible snort. "You could say that, yeah." Volkner agreed absently with a shrug. "Honestly, if I didn't train electric types I'd probably be training water types right now. Don't get me wrong I love my electric Pokemon and I love the type, but even then water has always held a special place in my heart."

"I think I understand what you mean." Norman nodded taking a sip of his own water and swallowed. "Normal types are the area I specialize in for Pokemon and for battles. Even then, my knowledge outside of it extended to martial arts and botany, I've always had this drive to at least train grass types."

Volkner arched an eyebrow. "... just make sure that you don't go overboard."

"Overboard? How so?"

"... Let's just say that once we get to Eterna City you'll understand exactly what I mean." Volkner answered with a deadpanned expression, his left eyebrow twitched as images of a certain gym leader began to flood his mind. It took all of his willpower not to shudder then and there.

The older male silently stared at him. "... Okay then."

At least Norman hadn't pestered him for answers. The younger gym leader as anti-social as he appeared to be did make some effort to at least get to know his colleagues, the only ones that Volkner really got along with and remembered were Roark, Maylene, and Candice. Crasher was a famous wrestler throughout the world and originally from Sinnoh thus there really was no way he couldn't have known the older male.

"Eterna City is where the next gym is right?" Harry's voice broke Volkner's train of thought leaning over and placing bacon, eggs and toast onto his plate.

Volkner felt his cheeks burn brightly. "Y-yeah j-just passed Eterna Forest will lead us straight to the city."

"It's about a week or so off depending whether we take a break to train," Norman piped up, looking at the map critically before glancing back at them. "You and Sirius have been getting better at training with your Pokémon."

"You think so?" The darker haired teen sat beside Volkner rather casually, tilting his head as he nibbled on the toast.

Norman nodded smiling with encouragement. "Definitely," not soon afterwards a frown appeared gazing around the camp fire. "Speaking of which where is Sirius anyway?"

"I –think," The electric gym leader munched on his food, quickly swallowed the piece of bacon. "I saw him out by the water training." It had been rather odd for the older male to break away from the group without warning, nonetheless Volkner decided to give Sirius as much as space as possible. Without him around it allowed him the chance to get close to Harry. "He should be back-"

"Right now." A looming and menacing voice growled behind him standing behind the Volkner with glint with a cold gaze. Shoving the blond off to the side creating room beside Harry, Sirius sat beside grinning rather vindictively.

"I was sitting there!" Volkner snapped angrily.

Sirius glanced at him. "Correction you _were _sitting there."

Throwing a heated glare at the male the younger resigned himself to taking a new seat on Norman's side, attempting to not look overly concerned. Inwardly, Volkner's blood boiled with anger. How dare Sirius shove him out of his spot, he had been there first! The fighting between the two had began to grow steadily along the journey, from jabbing one another to making snarky remarks. It began to sink in that their fighting had once again escalated even more, to say that he was infuriated would be an understatement. Not that it mattered.

'_Two can play this game_,' The blond thought, eyes narrowed at the overprotective man.

Lunch continued on quietly, however the tension rested upon the group had been as clear as day. They all felt it yet remained silently to the matter before splitting off into pairs for chores, unsurprisingly Sirius had taken Harry focusing on cleaning and thus left Volkner with Norman. They were in charge of gathering more firewood for the rest of the day, not a hard task; merely boring. The upside of it allowed Volkner to at least get some time away from Sirius.

Whatever. Volkner was not in the mood to deal with that man at the moment, placing all of his attention on finding new fire wood. His eyes skimmed along the sides trying to find the best wood to collect not wanting to settle for something that could be used. While they had been looking so far that no rain had fallen, the blond wanted to make sure that the food that got brought back were useable and last for at least a day, or more if their luck turned out well.

His eyes drifted towards his partner. "... are you sure you have enough wood?"

"Hm?" Norman blinked owlishly, holding a rather massive pile within his arms. "What do you mean?"

Volkner almost sighed then and there, but managed to refrain. "You know what? Just ignore that. Think we have enough to head back to the camp or should we collect more?" Somehow the blonde was not surprised, the older male seemed to always return with the largest and best pile of wood. He didn't know how Norman did it, frankly as long as it got done that was all that mattered.

"Grabbing a few more wouldn't hurt, besides it's good old exercise!" Norman commented cheerfully.

"... Why do you sound so happy?" Volkner remarked flatly, not truly minding exercise but rather how happy the older male sounded.

The normal gym leader let out a chuckle. "The question is why shouldn't I be? I love being outdoors, working out and generally feeling the fresh air. It's revitalizing and stimulating, I love it." A grin stretched across his features.

"You sound almost freakishly similar to my old man, except you're not shoving it down my throat." The blond felt his lips twitch at the remark. Volkner had never gotten along with his father, not even as a little boy growing up there were always issues between them. Eventually, it had gotten to the point where Volkner had disassociated with the man in general; almost refusing to acknowledge his existence. Many would call him cold-hearted for his actions, but none of them knew anything about him or his home life. No one did. Outside Flint that is.

"I take it that you and your father don't get along that well." Norman pointed out, not unkindly. Holding up his hand quickly before another comment could leave his mouth. "You don't have to give me a reason why, Volkner. But," the older male's gaze softened. "If you need someone to talk to, or even listen to; don't hesitate to come to me."

That was a bit awkward and out of the blue, even so Volkner kindly acknowledge his words with a sharp and slightly stiff nod. "I'll keep that in mind." Despite all of that, he felt grateful for the older's words and offering to listen, something that his own father never once did. By no means did Volkner have a negative view of fathers or adults; yet Volkner believed strongly in the old saying '_A person's actions spoke louder then words_' though there were a few exceptions to that rule.

For now the young gym leader would wait to see if Norman would follow through with his words.

(1)

"I think that might be enough training for the day," Volkner murmured, pushing off of the log, holding a steady gaze upon the miniature electric type. The Pichu looked rather tired and worn out from the session against Norman's Glameow; neither of them had a type disadvantage against one another allowing both of the pokémon to learn how to battle during training, more so Pichu then Glameow. Pichu wasn't not experienced enough in battles yet; being born barely a month ago, the electric type had yet to learn how to use any of it's moves; though what moves Pichu actually knew remained to be a mystery. Harry had been rather careful not wanting to push the newborn too far in the training once again due to the lack of experience that the electric mouse had while at the same time at least getting enough in so that Pichu would be able to protect himself from harm.

The rest of Harry's team had had already experience battles prior to being captured, thus were aware of how to fight when the time came for it. While progress might have been slow for the electric type the important thing was that at least Pichu learned something from it. His own Raichu seemed rather pleased with, silently watching beside him, happily going over to the offspring and struck up a conversation between them as Glameow had returned back to the Pokéball.

"Pichu's getting stronger by the day," Sirius commented with a grin on his face.

Norman nodded in agreement. "It wouldn't be long for him to battle all by himself."

"Maybe," The teen remarked uncertainly, emerald pools laying on his pokémon observing the conversation between the two electric types easily and let out a sigh. His lips pressed together into a faint smile. "I really hope that I'm not pressing him too hard on his training."

"You're doing fine." Volkner reassured calmly, wanting to cut that doubt in the other's tone immediately. "Every trainer has their own pace when it comes to training their pokémon, you are no different. Pichu's coming along well, so don't doubt yourself or your abilities." A gentle smile appeared as he gazed at the other male, and felt his heart skipping a beat once Harry threw a smile back towards his own direction. The blond swallowed, audibly.

"Thanks," Harry stated nonchalantly, emerald pools dancing with mirth yet gratitude mingled with. "I appreciate that Volkner."

The leader could practically feel his legs beginning to turn into jell-o, shifting embarrassed at the younger's words while attempting to fight off the grin that threatened to split across his own features. "I... it's nothing." He mumbled out, looking away hiding the blush on his face.

"Volkner is right. The way a trainer trains his or her pokémon is different, there's no such thing as too slow or too fast." Norman stated parentally, a calm smile residing upon his face as he gazed at the younger male. "You and Sirius have come a long way, you're doing fine." As he bent his head forward slightly. "If you're unsure of something, Volkner and myself would be more than happy to lend you a hand." His eyes flickered towards the other. "Right?"

"... yes," The blond grunted out, eyes fixated on what was in front of him. Inwardly, Volkner cursed the man quickly spotting the implications in his words and stare. He had been figured out? The leader had done everything in order to avoid appearing too transparent in his affections to Harry. Perhaps, it seemed that he failed. Sirius managed to deduce quickly, making attempts to prevent and stop him at nearly every corner. Even so, had Norman recently figured it or did he simply remain quiet? If it had been the later, why was the older male making subtle statement?

At that point Volkner swore he could feel a painful throbbing starting to develop.

"Just... come to me if you need help," The normally stoic gym leader added, quietly. Blue eyes glanced back towards the youngest member of the group as a small smile managed to appear.

"I think we've pretty much got the basics done for the most part," Harry said sliding his hands into his pockets, and taking a casual stance before bending down once seeing that Pichu and Raichu had finished talking, he allowed the small electric type to crawl up his arm and sit upon his shoulders gaining a small chuckle from the other. "H-hey now, it tickles!"

"Cute," Sirius said grinning, ear to ear amused.

"Well Pichu's are rather affectionate pokémon," Norman added, laughing full-heartedly smirking at the two.

Volkner allowed a full-blown smirk to form. "If you think Pichu's affectionate now just wait until it evolves into Pikachu!"

Harry hummed lightly letting out small snorts while his electric pokémon nuzzled against him very lovingly, his attention drifted towards the others. "So Pichu's evolution before Raichu is Pikachu, like the one Ash has." He concluded.

"That's right, though Pikachu evolves into Raichu via thunderstones. Some pokémon can only evolve using items or certain conditions that are met," Volkner nodded, clearing his throat. "You're Nidorino can also evolve using a moonstone; though they are the rarest of the evolutionary stones."

"Why?" Harry brows knitted together, frowning thinly. "That doesn't really make sense why the need stones in order to evolve."

Norman cleared his throat, bringing attention to him. "Scientists speculated that it has to do with a Pokémon's energy resonating with the stone's inner power, as evolutionary stones are rumored to be made up of mystical energies from nature. Because of that, pokémon are able to tap into their full potential and evolve into their final stages. Now, that isn't to say evolving your pokémon ASAP isn't such a great idea since it could lead to harming your pokémon rather than helping. Raising your pokémon and bonding with them are key to training a strong pokémon."

During Norman's little lecture Volkner couldn't help notice the contemplative gaze that lingered on Harry's face. The younger's expression altered between genuine curiosity, to serious consideration and then a rather calculative look, the solemn silence seemed odd. Almost out of place for the two. Even Sirius had become rather quiet, taking a far more passive aggressive stance as he listened, a dark gleam passed through the older's eyes.

The question that plagued him as to what the two were thinking and what provoked such a reaction?

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the two were hiding something from Norman as well as himself, he managed to pick up on that during the initial meeting with Harry. However, Volkner had the tact not to immediately question and poke the boy for answers; back then the two had barely known one another more than a few hours. Even now they barely know anything of their companions though the leader briefly wondered if Norman knew a bit more about Sirius then he, as the two older ones were far closer. Despite all of that he didn't want to pry into their privacy; it simple wasn't right and it had nothing to do with him. Yet, the growing curiosity remained, causing his own fear to grow along with it. Volkner feared the pressing for answers would lead to the friendship that he had with Harry might shatter, and that was something to avoid at all costs.

Some would say that his perspective could be considered a weakness, on a level Volkner agreed but remaining friends was at least something that held them together.

"Do any of my pokémon need a stone to evolve?" Sirius piped up curiously.

Norman nodded. "Growlithe evolves via Fire Stone. The four basic element stones; Water, Thunder, Fire and Leaf while still rare and expensive compared to Moon stones are a bit more common. When he does evolve Growlithe becomes Arcanine."

"Ar...canine?" Sirius repeated, repeating it slowly and tasting the word as a smirk of satisfaction plastered on. "Sounds wild!"

"Arcanine's are famous for not only their speed but their power too," Volkner murmured, eyes narrowing, stroking his chin as he thought. "They are very loyal pokémon as well, standing beside their trainer no matter what the cost. It's a reason why a lot of police force chose to have a Growlithe on their side."

Sirius tilted his head in thought, a grin rested on his lips glancing at his pokémon's ball approvingly.

"... I prefer sticking to my electric pokémon though," The blond shrugged his shoulders once again folding his arms against his chest. There was nothing wrong with Growlithe, and fire types; he simply had a preference to electric types. The older knew how capable the canine pokémon was and knew not to underestimate them.

Sirius opened his mouth to make a comment only to be effective cut off by Harry. "I think it's good to have variety, but everyone has their own likes and dislikes." The younger shrugged his shoulders, wearing a bemused smile on his face. "That does bring up another question I've been meaning to ask, Volkner you train electric types and Norman, normal's your specialty right? Did both of you mainly train that specific type when you began your journeys?"

"Hm, didn't I tell you?" Volkner blinked in surprise. Hadn't he talked about his beginnings before? The blond couldn't remember, shaking his head wearing a smile on his face. "Most trainers here in Sinnoh as you known pick either Piplup, Chimchar or Turtwig as their starter Pokémon. But I... well..." His hand moved to the back of his neck rubbing rather shyly and glanced away, his cheeks beginning to burn a bright shade of red. "I kinda... slept through most of the day and ended up being late. Eventually, Pikachu became my partner." A nostalgic smile appeared thinking of the past battles that he shared with his partner over the years one in particular remained forever carved in his mind. "It was during my very first gym battle since before I became a gym leader we had a different set of gyms than we do now. Pikachu used the move _Thunderbolt _for the very first time and won me the match, ever since then I dedicated myself to being an electric trainer."

"So that move helped lighten your path?" Sirius remarked, gaining groans from Harry and Volkner while Norman rolled his eyes amused. The long haired male continued to grin ear to ear fully aware of how horrible the pun sounded.

"That's almost the same situation as myself. Growing up in the Johto Region we're given either Cyndaquil, Totodile, Chikorita but my father ended up buying me a pokémon for my tenth birthday. One from the Hoenn region," Norman mused, chuckling. "Three guesses which Pokémon that was."

"Slaking." The three remarked in unison.

The dark haired man simply grinned. "That's right in one! Believe it or not though, some people have a tendency to look down on Normal types because of their inability to be super effective against any other type and even more so weak to Fighting. Which is why I sent out to prove them wrong, and become the strongest Normal trainer there is!"

"Did you achieve your goal?"

"Now that I'm older you realize that there's always more to learn, and that no matter what there's bound to be someone stronger then you. And for me that's fine." The older stated. "It provides me motivation to train even harder and accept defeat with honor knowing that I had battled a strong opponent."

The way Norman spoke reminded Volkner eerily as him back before he had fallen into his spiral of depression and solitude, waiting endlessly for the day when he'd be able to fight an opponent on the same level or a higher level than his own. Yet, as the days that had gone by began to leave him more and more disappointed; his passion for battling had dwindled into nothingness. The feeling of losing had become nothing more than a dream to him these days, and winning had turned into utter boredom; or at least so the blond had thought. As the weeks had gone by with travelling with the small group he could feel that fire slowly staring to ignite once again.

Maybe the problem wasn't the fact that he had been winning all the time rather he had forced himself to be cooped up with only himself and his pokémon to keep him company. Had Flint been right all along? Did he really only need to get out more?

'_Flint... being right?'_Volkner stared openly at the very idea of his afro friend being right. '_... he must never know.'  
><em>

(2)

In order to get to Eterna City via route 207 the four had been forced to rent bikes due to the only path to get into the city had been the Bike path. Unfortunately, it had cost a pretty penny and they had to deal with a swarm of trainers that almost seemed to have been waiting for them. It had been battle after battle, after battle to the point where it seemed to be no end. While their pokémon had gained good experience from the endless strings of battles by the time they reached the gates to Eterna City they were all but exhausted. The very first thing that the four had all agreed upon was checking into the nearest pokémon Centre, heal up their pokémon and then resting until the next day.

The rest had been one of the best sleeps that Volkner had ever had, the tingle of refreshment washed over him upon awakening from his slumber. Oddly enough, he had also turned out to be the very first one up for once. It had been rather strange, but had been a nice change. How long had it been since he been awake this early? It felt almost like years.

Upon his awakening murmurs of rumors of a haunted house managed to reach his ear, laying near the entrance towards Eterna Forest. Of course, that was nothing new to him recalling that particular spot of gossip had been heard before. Now that he had some time on his hands and the others still asleep, Volkner had felt rather adventurous and ultimately decided to explore the so-called haunted house for himself. Quickly gathering the location of said place by using his good looks, which helped on occasions such as these, before thanking them and heading off to house; a tingle of excitement ran through him.

Using the information that he gathered back at the Centre Volkner stumbled upon the eerily, and empty looking manor hidden within the forest. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years, the paint was fading and the glass was covered in dust. It looked ready to collapse.

All things considered the place seemed to pull off the horror like atmosphere, all in all the leader thought the house were overrun with mischievous ghost types that were playing around and messing with nearby traveling trainers. Wouldn't be the first time, ghost pokémon were notorious for that sort of thing. He had learned that tad bit of info from a ghost type user from awhile back, learning more about ghost types than Volkner ever cared for. In the long run, it was valuable to know what opponent one may find himself up against, especially now was one of those times. Regardless, the blond was confident in his abilities to discover the source of the so-called haunting.

Famous _last words._

Needless to say, things didn't turn out the way that Volkner had initially hoped. It almost seemed as if the entire place was against him! No matter where he went within the house strange things always occurred; tripping over things, hearing strange sounds and even knocking into objects that weren't there before. Hell, he almost fell through the floor upon going up stairs!

The place was a death trap. Through and through.

Volkner refused to thrown in the towel and run away, determined to solve the real 'haunting' of the house kept him going strong. The blond was not the type to give up easily! Searching the house with his faithful Raichu by his side the two went through the entire first floor and checked all the rooms that came into their line of sight; occasionally they found a few Gastly's floating about and the rare Haunter at times, but none of them bothered the two in the least.

Which meant that they were not the source of the rumors, at least that made things more interesting to the blond. In fact it only further drove him to figuring out what was going on in the house.

By now, his frustrations would have surfaced yet his being was filled with adrenaline, as he ascended up to the next floor eagerly. As the pools of blue began to size up the second floor with great zeal and caution landing on the first door that reached his range of sight.

It was only a matter of time.

(3)

"Looks like Volkner woke up before us," Harry commented, lounging in the cafeteria once awakening from sleeping and had been joined by the two adults. Usually, Norman and himself were the first two to awake before setting out to get breakfast started, he sipped his coffee and shuddered as the warm liquid descended inside of him.

Sirius yawned longingly. "W-wished... he'd at least woke us up too while he was at it!"

"He probably didn't want to wake us up, then got bored of waiting and then ventured into the city," the dark haired leader mused aloud, thoughtfully and smiled. "Knowing Volkner he'll come back one he's bored enough, or when he wants to. Volkner's a big boy; he's fully capable of taking care of himself." Leaning back against the chair and held his cup of coffee in hand while appearing very casually. Yet, his body filled with confidence in his words, lacking any doubt.

"Whatever," Sirius murmured, lacking any real apathy in his words. His grey eyes reflected a glint of worry behind them, his head facing away from the two of them.

Norman and Harry exchanged stares in unison arched eyebrows at Sirius before snorting audibly and turned away. They were able to see through the mask Sirius wore and knew, despite the animosity between the two, they genuinely did care for one another underneath their angry demeanors. Volkner and Sirius were good friends but hide it with exchanges of anger and hatred of one another, all in all, they did trust in one another. Even if they didn't show it.

However, putting them in a room together long periods of time wouldn't be the smartest of ideas.

"Oh speak of the devil and he shall appear," Sirius commented nonchalantly, attempting to look rather unimpressed with the blondes sudden entrance watching as he strolled over towards their table. Grey eyes narrowed upon Volkner's arrive. "And just where have you been exactly?"

"Just here and there," Volkner answered succinctly, eyes peering around and his finger tapped on the table. "Are they out of coffee? I need some coffee."

"That's not exactly an answer, Volkner." Norman chided gently, his eyes danced with mirth nonetheless. A smile could briefly been seen behind the mug which covered the lower half of his face. "You did have us worry." His eyes remained locked onto the other, watching as Volkner seemed to squirm under his scrutiny before he released it. "Before you head off somewhere, next time at least let us know, alright?"

Volkner's eyes moved to the corner landing on him. "... Alright," He agreed, with a reluctant tone, nodding sharply in agreement. "I will."

"That's all I wanted to hear." Norman's smile held approval, returning to his coffee without a moment's hesitation.

"I needed some air so I went and walked around for a bit, managed to spot a museum not that far off from the gym." Volkner began, striking up a conversation and shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't really see much of it, ending up heading out to Eterna Forest and checking out this so-called haunted house," the blond let out a loud snort at the absurdity of it. "Turned out that the real reason the place was the way it had been, was because of pokémon." His arms moved behind the chair and folded a leg onto the other and rolled his eyes. "Turned out the pokémon was living inside of the TV making all it's abilities to cause from havoc in the place. But it's gone now."

Harry's brows knitted together, his lips pressed into a frown. "Gone? As in it ran away..."

"Or as in you captured it?" Sirius continued on, eyes lingering on the blond.

Volkner cracked a smirk flicking up a pokéball up and down, leaning forward with his arm on the table. "I don't know, why don't you two tell me?"

"You obviously caught it," Sirius scoffed, rolling his eyes in a gruff manner. "So are you going to show us or what?"

"I'm rather interested as well," Norman's attention had fallen onto the conversation. "I wasn't aware that ghost types were capable of possessing and living within objects."

"Normally, they can't. It seems that this one has a special ability that allows it, at least from what I know. So you'll imagined how surprise I was when I stumbled on it," Volkner said, now eyeing the pokéball in his hand. "But once I saw it, everything seemed to connect together." In order to further elaborate, he whimsically tossed the ball straight into the air and revealed a small orange like creature that had the shape of spark of sorts, surrounded by electricity with blue eyes and grin stretching across its expression.

Harry quickly snapped out his Pokédex, pointing straight at the pokémon.

"_Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon. An electric/ghost type pokémon, it is composed of plasma and is able to take possession of electrical objects in order to cause mischief and havoc."_

"... So we have a prank pulling pokémon with us now?" Harry remarked, uncertain of how to take the newest edition to the team.

Sirius pouted. "Rotom would have been perfect for me!"

"No. It wouldn't." Harry sent him a deadpanned stare. "You alone is enough."

"Fine, fine." Sirius rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, mockingly.

"You're just jealous," Volkner thrown in his bit, the smirk deepened and let out a chuckle narrowly dodging a napkin being tossed at him from Sirius. "Hey!"

Harry's eyes rolled towards the both of them wearing a somewhat stoic expression. "Boys, quit it or I will ground you both."

"Y-you can't ground me I'm your godfather!" Sirius protested.

Volkner vigorously nodded. "I'm twenty!"

An awkward silence had fallen onto the two as they suddenly realized that they had been agreed on something and stared gob smacked at one another, becoming completely silent. A stifle of laughter from Norman broke the silence and ended up receiving a glare from the two, only smile innocently in response to them.

"Anyway, I'm going to go and get some training in." The raven haired teen removed himself from his seat, finishing the rest of his coffee and made his way over to the counter.

Norman followed after him. "I'll join you, I want to go and check out that forest since we're at it. It would be a better training ground, and we'd be able to see some pokémon there." gathering his and Sirius's cup while tagging behind the younger.

"H-hey don't leave us behind!" Sirius instantly ran over the two, and Volkner snapped out before bolted after the darker haired one.

Letting out a tiny humming sound Harry pressed his lips into a faint ghost of a smile. "Oh... are you two done now? Good," His eyes danced with mirth, chuckling. "Since we're all going, Volkner?" The blond piqued at the sound of his name. "Can you show us to the entrance of the forest? Since you were already there," it would save time for them all for the older to take them while making quick pit stops if they needed to grab anything. He learned fast that being prepared for anything.

Volkner blinked once, and nodded. "It's not that far from here." He said, a tiny smile slide on his face.

"VOLKNER!"

A shrilling, hyper and happy feminine scream echoed through the corridor making all four of them to cringe at the high-pitched sound, taken off guard by it. Whomever that voice had belonged to hadn't been anyone that Harry had been familiar with, as apparently the source of the voice belonged to someone that did know Volkner. His eardrums winced painfully, slowly feeling his hearing starting to return. Scanning around the areas to locate where the scream had come from until he caught on a dark shade of green and black enter his line of sight.

A young woman with brunet hair stood visible smiling widely, and brightly looking far too cheerful for his liking. She wore a strange green jacket that covered the upper part of her body and shoulders, wearing a black shirt underneath with exposed stomach and wore torn khaki jeans that appeared to be torn. Her footwear were hiking boots, a pair of bright shade of green ones.

"You know this girl Volkner?" Sirius pointed at her, yet his eyes remained on the blond.

"..." Volkner stated openly and tilted his head, remaining completely and utterly silent. Slowly, his arms moved to his chest and blinked. "Sorry but... what's your name again?"

* * *

><p>Chapter 13 end.<p>

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'm sorry it took so long to get up, but you'll all be glad to know that the next chapter is nearly complete (and it's a long one) so make sure to check it out once it's up! I want to thank everyone who's continued with this fic and everyone who's reviewed.

As for those reviews, I'm sorry I haven't been able to answer them as of late. Life's been catching up to me lately. Nevertheless, your support is appreciated.

Until next time. Please make sure to leave a review on the way out!

Volkner's team:  
>Luxray<br>Elekid  
>Raichu<p>

Rotom:  
>Type: ElectricGhost  
>Genderless<br>Level  
>Nature: Impish<br>Ability: Levitate  
>Attacks: Uproar, Confuse Ray, Thundershock, Double Team, Shock Wave and Astonish.<p> 


	14. Connect

Chapter 14: Connection

A pregnant silence fell upon the group watching as the brunet woman stared openly turning shades of purple that Harry had been certain would have made his Uncle Vernon impressed. She placed a hand upon her hip beginning to wag her finger at Volkner, closing the gap between her and him looking none too pleased with his remark.

"Honestly Volkner would it honestly kill you to learn your colleagues names?! Out of all the names you couldn't remember it just had to be mine didn't it? You probably remember Maylene's and Candice's but not mine? That stings!" The brunette droned on, frowning and with an irritated stare, she jabbed the blond in the chest as she went off on her tangent. Her voice had kept an indoor level, though the clear irritation could be heard loud and clear by the group. Letting out a huge sigh she folded her arms against her chest, eyeing Volkner in a sober and calm fashion.

Volkner held up his hands in defense. "I was just kidding Gardenia, really!"

"... Were you?" Gardenia's eyes narrowed at him distrustfully, her eyebrow raising slowly, skeptical of the claim.

"Yes!" Volkner nodded sharply. "Have I ever lied to you before-"

"Yes!" Gardenia replied succinctly, being blunt and direct. "Many times before!"

The electric lead had the decency to flush deeply at the comment, standing awkwardly. "H-hey that's all in the past, we can put it behind us. Right?" Offering a meek, yet sincere smile towards her while mentally chanting her to forgive him. While Volkner wasn't the type to 'lie' per say. There were times where he did with hold the truth on various occasions or whenever he felt in an inventive mood Volkner developed the habit of deterring others from interrupting his creative mood by any means necessary, it wasn't something that he was particular proud of, but habits are hard to break.

Gardenia remained silent for several moments, pressing her lips into a thin and faint smile. "You're lucky that you're cute, Volkner."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever." Volkner looked a tad smug at the comment, his stance come off as rather arrogant as Volkner was well aware of how good looking he appeared to be. A small smile rested on his lips, feeling the tension in the air beginning to fade. "I'm guessing that you just came back from a gym battle?" He inquired trying to start a conversation, a rather small one at that.

"You betchya! The challenger wasn't all that tough to be honest but he did put of a great battle!" Gardenia remarked cheerfully. "It's making me eager to see the next trainer that will come to challenge me!"

It had been strange hearing, and see the eagerness that came from her. Everything about Gardenia's posture spoke volumes, the bouncing energy that rolled off her felt rather similar to Flint though more controlled compared to that of his friend. How long had it been since he had felt the thrill of battle against a challenger? Far too long for his liking. A small part of him felt envious of Gardenia for being able to continue enjoying gym battles, fighting against strong trainers with every fibre of her being and ending in her defeat. Volkner missed it. However, the other part of him had been thankfully at the chance for being able to travel and stretch his legs from outside of his city. It allowed him to think, perhaps even re-kindle his desire for battling again.

At least that was something that Volkner hoped for. Though that wasn't the only reason for his travels, glancing back to the side at Harry before turning them back onto Gardenia. "If you're looking for a challenger, I know someone that will give you a run for your money."

"Oh really now? You've captured my interest's Volkner!" Gardenia's eyes gleamed brightly, giggling. "So who is this 'someone'?"

Sirius cleared his throat about to speak up before Volkner draped an arm around Harry's shoulder, pushing him forward. As the younger protested, throwing a glare up at him. "Volkner!" Harry hissed, lowly turning his attention back towards Gardenia. "Erm... hello..." He greeted her in an awkward fashion, holding out his hand towards her.

"Why hello there! Name's Gardenia but I guess you already know that!" The brunet woman grinned ear to ear, waving. "So you and Volkner are travelling together, huh? If he says that you're a great trainer then I can't wait until you come to the gym and take me on. I look forward to battling you!" Gardenia stated, happily. "Ohhh do you have any grass Pokemon on you? I'd really like to see if you do!" Her eyes seemed to glow under the mentioning of grass types.

"Not now Gardenia. Wait until the actual battle," Volkner chided her calmly.

Gardenia rolled her eyes, pouting. "Fine, fine ruin my fun Volkner! Anyway the least you could do is introduce me to your friends."

"Fine." Volkner rolled his eyes having removed his arm from Harry's shoulder and now rested up against his chest, nodding towards the younger. "This is Harry." His eyes glanced towards the older members of their group. "The one with the long hair is Sirius and the last is Norman, a gym leader from the Hoenn region. We're travelling together," The electric leader informed Gardenia. Though he failed to see why he said so before dismissing the thought, it was probably just to get her off his back and prevent her from pestering them with constant question as his fellow gym leader was rather curious.

"Heh, it's nice to meet you three!" She beamed brightly at them, eyes landing on Norman with surprise. "A gym leader from Hoenn? That's pretty rare, what brings you out here to Sinnoh?"

Norman's smile tensed upon the inquiry. "Yeah, that's correct. I just needed space from my gym is all, it has been a rather long time since I've been able to travel and see the world I figured I might as well take the chance." He commented sincerely, though it had been obvious to them minus Gardenia, that he felt uncomfortable with the question. Volkner didn't entirely know the story behind why the older man had began journeying around Sinnoh but he suspected there had been more than that, nonetheless it wasn't any of his business and he refused to pry into it even though Volkner had the inkling that at least Sirius knew more than Harry and himself. "You're a gym leader, correct what type do you train?"

It had been an attempt to catch the subject to something less bothersome.

Gardenia practically brightened at the question, her hands intertwined together. "Oh me? I train grass type Pokemon! They're the best in my opinion everything about them just screams best don't you all agree? The way they all look, how they attack just... oooooh!" She squealed happily.

"A grass type trainer, does that mean that your area is centred on forests and all of that? Like how Roark's field is primarily a rock field?" Harry asked, curiously recalling his battle with the Oreburgh leader.

Norman cleared his throat, interrupting Gardenia. "It's not that uncommon, many leaders preferring using arenas that suit their styles or that reflect the type that they both use. My gym for example resembled a dojo, I think you can guess the reason as to why for that." The older male stated with a smile, seeing the hesitant but understanding nod from the boy.

"Ohh you personalized your Dojo? That's awesome, that's exactly what I do!" Gardenia declared, effectively cutting off everyone else her tone pierced the room as she grinning ear to ear happily. "If there's one thing I love just about as much as I love grass Pokemon, it's gardening and planting! I turned my entire gym into a giant garden. Filled with plants, trees and all sorts of flowers that can only be found here in the Sinnoh region! I haven't had the chance to add any exotic flowers from other regions, but I will eventually!" As she giggled happily, wrapping her arms around herself. "Ohhh~ Just thinking about adding more plants to my beloved gym brings a smile to my face making me feel warm and fuzzy!"

Volkner buried his face into his palm. "Urgh... you just had to go and get her going, didn't you?"

"Um... sorry..." Norman murmured, his eyes rested on the grass leader, fidgeting as she continued her tangent about her flowers and her gardening. A frown ever presented upon his face, his arms moved towards his chest moving very comfortable while trying to drown out Gardenia's words with his own thoughts, memories of the past began to surface upon him. Memories that he simply didn't want to remember, it seemed that despite his initial desire to leave behind his past it continued to follow him wherever he seemed to go. His mind slowly started to become filled with various sounds and thoughts increasing the suffocating air that had pressed upon him, forcing a smile if to simply endure what had been before him. It felt painful to him, emotionally and mentally. Carefully, and slowly he made a step backwards seeing that everyone's attention had been placed upon Gardenia, stepping away from the group.

None of them would be aware of him missing until he had already left. A part of himself felt rather guilty for skipping out on Gardenia's little story about her gym, but somehow he hoped that she and the others would be able to forgive him; heading out of the centre discreetly.

* * *

><p>Where exactly was <em>he <em>going?

Sirius' eyes remained glanced back watching as Norman had began to detach himself from the group, making a silent get away and disappeared from the Centre doors without even looking back. It had been quite unlike the gym leader to simply do that, that alone caused the wizard to be worried about the other man. Had something that Gardenia said made him uncomfortable or had been it something else? He decided to check up on Norman once the conversation with the Eterna gym leader had come to an end, as it would be rude to leave her in the middle of it; besides, Sirius had a fairly good idea of where exactly the other had went. Having Growlithe with him would help make the search for Norman quicker and easier, unless, of course the man wanted to be alone.

Privacy was something that Sirius knew very well, if he had chased after Norman it would have been an insult to the other. For the moment the wizard would allow the other all that he needed, though Sirius did plan to go after him. Just not yet.

After all he had to make sure that a certain blond wasn't going to go near his godson!

"... and that's why I decided to make my gym the way it is, took a lot of hard work but it had been worth it and my grass Pokemon simply love it!" Gardenia gushed happily, fawning over her Pokemon and gym with a dreamily like expression. Her hands were intertwined together smiling broadly."I can't wait for you to come to my gym to see it for yourselves, I'm sure you'll all agree how magnificent it is! And of course, how strong my beloved grass type Pokemon are!"

Volkner shook his head, smirking ruefully. "Don't worry, we'll all witness the mighty power of your grass Pokemon during the gym battle!"

"And don't you forget it!" Gardenia giggled, happily and smiled brightly. Her eyes landed on Sirius and Harry, bowing her head slightly to the side. "I am looking forward to my battles with you both, I have the feeling that you two will be difficult opponents, so make sure to not disappoint me!"

"Don't worry." Harry began, stepping forward his eyes locked on to hers. "We won't."

An eerie air seemed to linger on them as Sirius glanced down at his godson feeling a wave of pride flow through him at seeing and hearing the confidence Harry displayed. His godson always seemed to have a particular talent when it came to stunning people into silence, a grin appeared on his face seeing the bewildered look that came across Gardenia and the surprised but proud one on Volkner's. Harry always seemed to know exactly what to say and at the right time, the teen merely kept a steady smile on his face watching her carefully and calmly; he knew well enough that Harry had meant no ill offense or any rudeness just simply to convey that neither of them had any intention of losing to her.

The grass leader remained stilled for the moment, her smile blossomed across her face. "Well now, I like that confidence in your voice! I'll hold you to your words! Anyway I should probably head off to the gym, so I'll be seeing all of you later. Oh!" Before she walked her eyes, her head turned towards them. "If you want to check some places out we have our famous museum here that's a must see, and we also have the newly opened bicycle shop if you guys are interested in that sort of thing."

"I think we're good," Sirius remarked cutting her off as he held up his hands. "But thanks Gardenia." They didn't really need bikes to get around; besides their Pokemon would be able to take care of any problems should the four of them encounter any.

"You're welcome, anyway I'm off! It was good meeting you all and talking with you again Volkner," Gardenia smiled giggling holding her hand upwards waving good bye as she disappeared in the distance.

"So, that was Gardenia." Harry remarked slowly moments after the gym leader had met. A tiny smile twitched on his lips. "She's reminds me of Luna... "

Sirius raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "Except without the obsession with grass and nature?"Harry had spoken a bit about Luna from his letters, while he hadn't met the Ravenclaw personally the details that his godson had wrote about her had been rather detailed and felt almost like he knew her. Back before his imprisonment, he had encountered her father briefly and while he had been a bit strange Sirius could tell that Xenophilius had been a good man despite only ever meeting once.

"Kinda." Harry shrugged his shoulders, choosing not to elaborate on his words.

It seemed that Volkner had appeared rather puzzled, remaining silent on the sidelines keeping a neutral expression though his eyes had spoken of confusion and interest. "Luna's a friend of yours from back home?" The electric leader questioned.

Harry nodded. "A good friend," the teen confirmed.

_'So Harry hasn't told Volkner anything about home? I guess... that's a good thing,' _The wizard thought to himself, eyes narrowed at the two watching them talk following them as the sudden unanimous agreement to grab something to eat; his own stomach rumbled quiet happily at the mentioning of food as none of them had anything to eat once getting up. The prospect of food would help pass the time, afterwards Sirius resolved to go and look for Norman once they had finished eating, the younger two knew that the gym leader had left the room but had refrained from making comments out of respect. The silence had given him sometime to think on a few things, over Harry's secrecy from Volkner and what he had to ld Norman.

It seemed Harry and himself had chosen differently; in terms of informing their new friends, which Sirius could not fault. Without any offense to the two, he hardly thought that telling them that they were from another world would be such a good idea, especially with how things worked within the world. At the same time, the wizard felt rather horrible for keeping a secret from, at least, Norman given their current stance of their.. relationship. While he had told the man some things it hadn't been everything nor the entire truth either, at first it Sirius had be cautious with what he informed the gym leader at least owing him for finding him and for becoming his friend and now... the more time that he had spent with Norman the stronger his feelings had become turning from mere friendship into.. romantic.

Many years had passed since the last time Sirius had been in an actual relationship after bring imprisoned, but even once released he hadn't pursued anyone. His distrust of others had remained lodged into his being, being betrayed by people he had once viewed as friends so... easily, simply because of his name. Opening up his heart again had been... particularly difficult, it had been a slow process but eventually Sirius had allowed himself to at least try being with someone, and that someone had turned out to be Norman.

Even so... Sirius still wondered what exactly where they. Years of being single made him question and go with their relationship slowly, refusing to force their relationship to the next level. The only thing that Sirius wanted to know was where they stood... as a couple.

"Sirius?" Harry piped up snapping him out his thoughts; the teen stared at him concerned. "Are you alright?"

Volkner remained stoic. "You've been spacing out there for awhile now," for a brief moment his blue eyes sparked with concern and quickly vanished being replaced with the stoicness.

"Hm? Oh sorry," Sirius shook his head snapping out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized how transparent he had appeared before the two. "I was thinking of something, that's all. What were you two saying? I missed it."

Volkner opened his mouth to say something only to be stopped by Harry holding up his hand preventing him. The blond glanced down curiously, but complied without any argument falling quiet. "Sirius, you can go and find Norman," Harry said, smiling. "Volkner and I can look after ourselves. We won't go far."

To leave Harry with Volkner made Sirius' anger starting to surface, but the prospect of going to look for Norman had also entered his mind. Internally he had become conflicted staying here protecting his godson from the blond or going to look for his...boyfriend? That actually sounded nice now that he was thinking about it. The wizard had remained silently, thinking over what he should do, hands curling up into fists. The encouragement from the two, both verbal and the silent to turn away that would be an insult.

"Alright," Sirius nodded turning his back towards him, before throwing a glare at Volkner. "And you keep your hands off of him!"

The blond held up his hands in response, smirking at him. His poisonous stare remained on the gym leader making his way from the two as they faded away in the distance; Sirius knew exactly where Norman had gone off to making his straight towards the forest. Originally, they had all planned on exploring it before Volkner had gone off to do his own thing and running into Gardenia back at the Centre. Tossing the Pokeball out to reveal Growlith Sirius issued a command of sniffing out the gym leader heading deeper into Eterna Forest, the fire type had been the best of choice to lead him through the downtrodden path. That said, the forest seemed to glow brightly underneath the rays of the sun, Sirius couldn't deny the beauty that the forest had. In fact it felt much more welcoming and natural compared to the Forbidden Forest back at Hogwarts.

Then again everything about this world seemed to be far more natural and pure to that of the wizarding world. Was that due to the Pokemon that had resided within the world or the bonds between trainers and their Pokemon? Everything within this world seemed to hold a deep connection between the two, a bond of both species. A sense of unity.

If wizards, muggles, and non-humanoid creatures managed to get along, could they have managed to make a world like this? It was something that made Sirius wonder about, he acknowledged that many of the mishaps and violence that had erupted through the magical community of Britain had been largely due to the misunderstandings and prejudice of all sides; not just one. None of them were willing to give the other a chance. In the end that had truly lead to their eventual downfall, unless they learned to work together the wizard didn't see how things could work out. Then again it didn't really matter to him, no longer being a part of the wizarding world. The very thought of the realization made him feel like a great weight had been relieved from his shoulders, oddly enough.

Sirius shook his head continuing to follow through the forest, gazing around carefully following his Growlith's lead patiently, turning upwards to the blue sky that hung above them. His eyes narrowed catching a string floating in the sky, lips pressing against together into a thin frown calling for his Pokemon to halt as he watched the 'floating string' swaying across his line of sight. Sirius glanced back at Growlithe and back at the string, his curiosity piqued.

"C'mon Growlithe we're going after that thing!"

* * *

><p>"Glameow use <em>Fury Swipes<em> with _Quick Attack_!"

The feline Pokemon's eyes glinted at the command letting out a low but long purr arching arching his back up, preparing to bounce. The claws that the normal type had began to glow menacingly lunging forwards landing the attack upon the opponent and skidding to the side, circling the other in order to increase his speed and once again collided roughly; knocking the opponent down. Glameow eyed them with a satisfied smirk and remained standing in front, waiting patiently for newly given orders while keeping a steady eye upon the Pokemon before him. Clawing at the ground, Glameow's eyes continued to linger on his opponent, looking forward to continuing the battle.

The opponent jumped back onto it's feet looking agitated and angry, shaking violently glaring at Glameow.

"Be careful," Norman advised observing carefully, eyes narrowing slightly at the Pokemon before him. "I think it's getting ready to use _Stun Spore_, be on your guard Glameow make sure it doesn't come in contact with you!"

"Glammm!" The feline Pokemon remarked, with a sharp purr.

That seemed to make the grass type Pokemon even more angry as a furious expression appeared and began to shake wildly, yellow dust came from it's body shooting up into the air settling into the air and began to settled downwards. Glameow sniffed the air, shuddering making an attempt to dodge the attack pouncing from side to side trying to avoid getting hit by the attack. The longer the feline dodged the attacks the angery and more aggressive the attacks became, increasing in speed to the point where Glameow began to have difficulty in dodging it, coming in brief contact with one and felt his tail going stiff, a sharp cry came from the normal type's mouth wincing.

"Glameow!" Norman remarked, curling his hand into a fist as the opponent Pokemon started to approach the stunned feline appearing victorious. "Hurry use _Cut _attack!"

Glameow's eyes opened wide at the comment, his right hand glowed brightly turning into a sharp edge that glowed underneath the ray's the sun and lowered the arm slashing against the Pokemon causing the opponent to flew backwards, bouncing off the ground and rolled onto it's side where and laid there; twitching slightly. The normal type carefully walked over towards where its opponent was, raising a paw poking at the unconscious Pokemon, nodding with a pleasant meow proud of winning and making back to where Norman stood, nuzzling at his knees very happily. The gym leader smiled, kneeling down, petting the feline gently with an approving smile on his face.

"You did a great job Glameow," Norman praised, eyes flickered towards the Pokemon unclipping an empty Pokeball from his waist tossing it. The ball came in contact with the Pokemon and dropped to the floor, starting to wiggle back and forth before a ping echoed softly into the air. "Looks like I captured a new addition to our team Glameow!" He went over, picking up the Pokeball from the ground holding it within his hands and smiled. It had been awhile since he had gotten a capture usually leaving it to the much younger ones and Sirius, the adrenaline rushed through his body gripping at the Pokeball that laid in his palm and smiled as he clipped it to his waist.

Feeling all the anxiety that he had felt back at the centre the gym leader held out his Pokeball returning Glameow back to inside after wishing him a good job, heading off straight back to the city. A nice long refreshing walk with a Pokemon battle had been exactly what the gym leader had needed to clear his head; the capture of the Pokemon he had stumbled upon had been a bit of a surprise to him nonetheless Norman felt rather happy at the success of the capture. His hands slide into his pockets walking down the path that lead back to where he came from, a relaxed smile rested on his lips taking the time to admire the forest in which surrounded him, it was simply beautiful and had a more exoticness to it that Petalburg lacked, though that had been due to the fact that the Hoenn region was far more tropical compared to the Sinnoh Region. All regions were different from one another, with the slight exception of Johto and Kanto which were rather similar in feel due to being close to one another.

Suddenly, a downpour began drenching him within seconds. A surge of ire appeared, Norman had no problem with the rain and actually enjoyed it on the odd occasion even so, it did annoy him that it appeared so...

He blinked, turning around slightly noticing how dry everything looked slowly moving his body and gazing. It seemed that he was the only one that had been subjected to the rain.

"This is weird," Norman murmured to himself, brows knitted together looking around slowly. Was there something that was causing this, as far as he had been aware there were no water Pokemon about, a frown appeared on his face; maybe... perhaps there was a Pokemon battle going on? That seemed to be the most likely.

The moment when Norman resumed his walking, the ground began to shake without warning, causing him to stumble slightly knocking back into the trees holding onto it as a smoke cloud hung above him gaining his attention. His head snapped towards where the smoke came from, pushing off of the tree staring for several moments lunging forward with a mad dash; seeing smoke like that always meant there was trouble nearby. He didn't know what might have been going, a battle or even an accident occurring, even so, regardless of what had created the smoke, the gym leader couldn't simply walk away from it. Norman knew that perhaps he might have been overreacting to the situation but it was better to be safe rather than sorry, especially with Team Rocket being in the Sinnoh region.

His eyes darkened darkly recalling how the trio had attempted again and again to try and steal not just his daughter's Pokemon but his own as well. Discovering that they had come to the Sinnoh region had been alarm for concern, while they were not a major threat to his eyes the rest of Team Rocket were. Growing up in the Johto region, he had heard horror stories of all the vicious and terrible things that the Rockets had caused all over the Johto and Kanto regions before the initial fall of them several years ago. Unfortunately, he didn't know how or when they had revived but it had come to his knowledge that at least the rest of the gym leaders were aware which placed his worries at ease.

It didn't take Norman too long to discover the source of the smoke passing through the peering trees easily, by the time he had reached the place the smoke had already begun to fade away. His eyes traced over the area steadily gazing across the field landing upon a dilapidated looking house, worn down and barely holding together. It looked like the place had been abandoned for years, which meant it was the exact type of place where ghost Pokemon would hang out.

Norman shuddered at the thought.

"Ah!" His eyes landed upon the door catching the familiar black hair that hovered in the air, disappearing inside the house. It had been Sirius! Norman made an attempt to say something only for the words to leave too late, causing him to groan placing his hand over his face. The man had already entered the house.

Norman stared, his eye twitched, feeling torn between following in after Sirius or remaining exactly where he was until the man had returned from the inside. His body twitched irritable the longer he debated internally with himself, going inside a place where it had been crowded with ghost Pokemon. His throat went dry, his legs began to move on their own, heading straight towards the house with him breathing heavily and fearfully the gap between himself the place began to lessen with each step. He fought off the urge to begin shaking, inching closer and closer to the handle as he reached out, throwing the door open and peered into the darkness.

"I-it's... it's just a house," Norman stuttered out, swallowing thickly continuing to gaze at the endless darkness before him. "I-It's just a house. S-so what if th-there's Ghost Pokemon inside! T-they're just Pokemon after all!"

Placing one foot inside of the house the gym leader slowly began to enter the house; his senses remained tense glancing around the house in a fretful manner. His fears were stupid, that much the gym leader realized even so he couldn't help but be frightened! His left hand remained near his Pokeballs, on the floor had been various papers and a couch that laid on it's back looking like it had been there for quite a long time. It honestly made Norman wonder just how _long _this place had even been abandoned. Far beyond a mere five years or so, he'd wager at least twenty if not more. A frown rested on his face, and shook his head glancing away to the side.

Something must have happened in the house, something horrible. Whatever the reason was... the gym leader wasn't entirely sure if he really wanted to know.

"Where did Sirius go?" Norman frowned, moving slowly shakily around the place turning his head slightly. He knew that Sirius got a bit of a head start ahead so it made sense that the other probably ventured further into the house, much to the gym leader's cringe. "I... I can do this. J-just find Sirius a-and t-then I can leave here. E-easily enough!" At least that's what he told himself anyway, mentally repeating his words over and over again in attempt to place his fears at easy, though that was easier said than done. Norman didn't particularly like ghost Pokemon or environments where ghost Pokemon liked to hang out. The fact that he had forced himself inside of the house, and walk around within was a truly a feat for him.

"Boo!"

Norman let out the most unmanly scream possible jump into the air and looked absolutely terrified looking at the bemused expression that Sirius had.

Sirius laughed, holding his sides. "Oh man I didn't expect you to scream like that! You should have seen the look on your face, Norman!"

"T-that w-wasn't funny!" Norman remarked, throwing him a glare recomposing himself. "N-Not f-funny at all!"

"I-I'm sorry," A small snicker escaped Sirius' lips as he smiled at him. "Really, I am sorry. I won't do it again, promise!" Once the laughing had ceased, the darker haired man eyed him. "So what brought you all the way out here? I saw you ditching us back at the Pokemon Centre."

The gym leader closed his eyes briefly, a stab of guilt appeared. While he had left willingly, Norman hadn't meant to make Sirius worry, or come after him for that matter. Which doubled the guilt; as a thought appeared, had he been the reason why the other had come to the forest; to look for him? His heart began to fill with a lightness as a small smile bloomed.

"Well, whatever the reason is, it doesn't really matter now." Sirius dismissed, with a grin on his face.

"Sirius..." Norman sighed, knowing that if... whatever they currently were, even though he was aware that Sirius kept some secrets from him the gym leader wanted to let him know that he understood. "Back when I was married to Caroline, my ex-wife. We... well, there were a few problems during our marriage. Along with my gym leader job I always have a greenhouse which I use for gardening and for my botany, unfortunately Caroline she... didn't really like the idea of me having it. She thought it wasn't right that man had and loved to garden, she went even as far as to threaten to get rid of it."

"Reminds me of my mother, they would get along splendidly," Sirius said, his tone sardonic and bitter.

The gym leader's lips curled hesitantly, he already knew there was bad blood between Sirius and the rest of his family due to whatever happened back home but he hadn't realized that it had extended farther to his own parents. "Do you not get along with her?" Norman asked slowly.

"She was a controlling, narrow minded, abusive banshee." Sirius remarked harshly, eyes narrowing to a glare. "She was far too obsessed with our 'status' in society and 'nobility of our blood' it sickened me. I ended up running away from home when I turned sixteen, because I couldn't stand living under the same house with the rest of my family. I ended up moving with my best friend; James Potter, Harry's father, before getting my own place a few years later."

"It's good that you got away from there," Norman commented sincerely smiling at him. "You and James must have been really close." A hint of jealous appeared in his voice, it was stupid but it had been obvious to him that Sirius and James must have been more than simple best friends. The leader knew he shouldn't be jealous as he had been married but... Norman couldn't help it.

Sirius stared, blinkingly rapidly before and barked a laugh. "A-are you jealous Norman?"

"No!" _'A little.' _His brain remarked.

"Don't be," Sirius reassured him reading him easily. "James had absolutely no interest in me, he was far too much in love with Lily, Harry's mother, to bother with anyone else!"

The gym leader blinked at that, his lips tugged into a smile chuckling. "Is that so?"

"Trust me when I say that it was almost as if his world had revolved around her," The long haired man shook his head, rolling his eyes as a tiny smirk laid on his face. "At times it could be funny, others not so much. In the end he married her and had Harry, making me godfather to him."

"I see," Norman felt embarrassed at how easily his jealousy had been spotted before throwing it to the side, smiling at him. He had been glad to see that he had been wrong on his assumption now seeing that James and Sirius were far more like brothers than anything else, in fact after what Sirius had told him Norman couldn't help but feel glad that Sirius had a friend like James during his youth to rely on and trust. "But you've never dated?"

"Here and there," Sirius answered calmly, his attention turned away from the leader looking around with curiosity letting out a thoughtful hum.

It took all of his willpower not to frown at Sirius' reflective and empty answer, while Norman knew that his... whatever they were, had dated in the past and had no right to bring it up. That didn't mean he felt happy about his question not being answered. For now, the leader decided to leave it be.

"So what brought you to come in here?" Sirius asked, curiously glancing back.

Norman sighed. "I... saw you inside and went after you. So now that the two of us are here can we go back now?" His words were rush, the desperation of wanting to leave the house as quickly as possible was evident. He had already stayed longer in the house longer then he felt comfortable with, now that Sirius being found neither of them had any reason to stay longer. Logically in his mind, that meant they could return to the city!

"A... are you scared?" Norman kept his mouth shut, as Sirius began to grin; a wide grin. "You are scared! I never thought you'd be the type to be afraid of abandoned places!"

"I'm not," Norman threw him a glare.

Sirius retorted with an arched eyebrow. "Oh really now? Then why are you fidgeting about?"

"I-it's not the house," Norman repeated, truthfully.

"Then why are you shaking?" Sirius folded his arms against his chest, refusing to let the subject drop and stood in silence, waiting stubbornly for his answer.

The normal gym leader sighed, gritting his teeth. "I... don't like Ghost type Pokemon, alright? They give me the creeps!"

"Is that all?" Sirius started, the grin remained brightly approaching him and wrapped an arm around his waist pulling him closer, landing a kiss upon his cheek. "Don't worry Norman, I won't let those big bad Ghost Pokemon hurt you! Just stay by me and I'll protect you."

"Don't need protecting," Norman shot back, flatly. His cheeks tingled in embarrassment, his lips twitched in appreciation at Sirius' words. The sign of affection hadn't been something that he had been expecting to received from the other man, it wasn't unwelcomed nonetheless. When they were in private the two would exchange some forms of affection towards one another, but never anything so... forward. It seemed that perhaps they were starting up move to the next level of their relationship.

"So now that I'll be by your side, let's go and explore! It will just be you and me, c'mon it will be fun!"

The gym leader rolled his eyes. "... Fine."

"If it makes you feel better how about a bit of protection?" Sirius unclipped a Pokeball from his waist, giving it a toss causing a brief flash of light to illuminate the darkened room to reveal a rather plump blue Pokemon with large ears smiling rather happily. Around the bottom half the Pokemon was pure white with little white spot along the chest, and at the end of the tail had been a bouncing blue ball. "I think she should be enough, don't you think?"

"... When did you get an Azumarill?" Norman inquired, blinking slowly at the water Pokemon.

Sirius gave a nervous laugh. "It's... well, originally isn't not mine."

"What do you mean by that?" Norman's eyes narrowed at the implication of his words.

"The brat gave her to me around the time we were going to leave Oreburgh before the incident with the fossil Pokemon happened. He really didn't seem to care what happened to Azumarill all that much either, honestly the kid has a stick up his ass or at least something anyway." Sirius commented with a harsh snort, shaking his head. His expression seemed to soften as his eyes landed upon the water type Pokemon, a gaze of empathy and understanding.

_Brat?_ Norman thought about it, before the person that Sirius had been referring to had instantly dawned on him. '_Paul.' _Somehow that didn't surprise him at all, trainers like Paul seemed to dump their Pokemon whenever they didn't perform well enough in battle, either being trading away, handing them someone else or outright abandoning them without as much of a second thought. It disgusted him to see that happen to Pokemon, they were living creatures that deserved to be loved and cared for; to simply hear Azumarill had been given away out of a lack of empathy made him angry. However, the gym leader always saw the positive side of things, Azumarill had been given to someone that would treat her with kindness and love. "At least you're taking care of her now."

Sirius nodded with agreement, smiling brightly. "Mhm, Azumarill has been a big help to me. Haven't you?"

"Azuuu!" The water type cheered with a smile, nodding happily at Sirius.

"So I guess that explains the rain that I felt earlier then, you were battling with Azumarill." Norman concluded, shaking his head with a smirk on his face as he chuckled.

"Rain?" Sirius looked puzzled, in a very adorable sort of fashion.

"When I was heading back I felt water dripping on me," Norman clarified with a laugh. "I thought that it had started raining until noticing that I was the only one that had gotten wet, so initially I knew then that a battle had been going on not too far from my location. After that I resumed heading back to the centre and then I saw smoke..."

Sirius winced. "Sorry about that, apparently _Scald _and _Gust_ attack don't go together."

"A _Gust _attack?" Norman blinked a few times, before snickering. "Where you battling a flying type Pokemon?"

"Erm... no," The man's lips began to twitch struggling to fight off what appeared to be a smile. "How about instead of beating around the bush I show you instead?" As he pulled out another Pokeball from his waist tossing it into the air, allowing another quick flash of light to appear revealing a small purple balloon like Pokemon floated in the air; it looked rather out of place with two beady black eyes and a yellow 'x' across it's face and yellow heart-shaped like objects attaching to it's end while on top had been what appeared to be a cloud. "Meet Driftloon!"

"It... looks sort of cute," Really Norman didn't even know how to respond to this Pokemon, it looked innocent enough. A few moments passed as his lips pressed into a thin but kind smile. "It's nice to meet you, Driftloon."

"Did I mention that he's a ghost type?"

At that moment Norman stared in horror letting out a small yelp of fear jumping back a few steps once more staring at the balloon Pokemon with horror. His finger pointed shakily at Driftloon chatting his teeth together, before anything could be said or done one of his Pokeball's opened revealing a flash of light which revealed a small little creature with puny legs, it's body had the shape of a mushroom with little green spots on it's face while the rest of it's body appeared to be a lighter shade of brown. It's eyes narrowed angrily at Driftloon taking an offensive stance. Azumarill sensing the disturbance between them jumped in front of the two holding out her arms at them, looking between the two Pokemon trying to pacify them both.

"What the hell is that?" Sirius asked, kneeling down at the Pokemon that came from Norman's Pokeball as he held out his Pokedex pointing towards it.

_"Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokemon. Preferring to live in soiled forests, Shroomish will unleash spores from it's body in order to protect themselves from warm. These spores are capable of causing pain all over once inhaled."_

Sirius raised an eyebrow, pocking the device. "He certainly sounds lovely to have around."

"Shroomish aren't really all that bad, they're native to the Hoenn region mostly. Especially within the Petalburg Forest, to be honest I've always wanted to capture one but never got the chance until now." Norman admitted sheepishly, with a grin on his face giving appearing abashed. He always had a soft spot for grass types even if his primary type that he trained were normal types, Norman felt rather happy being able to be able to train a grass type.

"Good on you then for finding one," Sirius seemed genuinely happy at that fact wearing a smile. "When did you capture this little guy?"

Norman stifled a snicker eyeing him amused. "Caught him before coming in... here..."His body shivered with fear remembering their current location beginning to glance around the house nervously. He didn't understand why Sirius even wanted to explore this place further, there really didn't seem to be anything inside.

"Hey," Sirius went over taking him by the hand, gripping it. "I'm right here remember? Nothing bad will happen, besides Azumarill, Driftloon and Shroomish will be with us. Right guys?" The three Pokemon let out happy and confident cheers at his question, as the other man turned to him and smiled brightly at him. "See? So, don't worry." His other hand slipped into Norman's free hand, holding it while facing one another. "Trust in me."

The gym leader stared at him hearing those words seemed to wash away all the anxiety and fear that he felt. Hearing the sincerity from Sirius, he knew that the other man would keep his word and gripped their hands back. "I trust you," Norman stated softly, a gentle smile rested on his lips staring deeply into the grey eyes. Taking the initiative he stepped forwards, tilting his head downwards and pressed their lips together in a soft, but quick kiss. Their first, true kiss. It had been different from kissing a woman; kissing a man had a rougher and harder feel, feeling a tingle of eagerness beginning to stir within him desiring to deepen the kiss but he resisted that urge.

Sirius hummed lightly, wearing a half-smirk. "Thank you," As he snatched a kissed of his own, lingering longer than the first one. "So shall we continue exploring?"

"If we must," Norman sighed reluctantly agreeing with him. "Though... I have to ask where are Volkner and Harry?"

* * *

><p>"That was a great breakfast," Harry commented with a smile, strolling along the sidewalk with Volkner glancing up at the taller male.<p>

The blond hummed lightly, nodding. "It was good. I still think that your cooking is a lot better. Nothing can beat homemade food."

"Erm... thanks," Harry's cheeks flushed, his mouth twitched at the compliment that he had received from him. He didn't really consider his food to be 'homemade' though the sentiment behind Volkner's words was appreciated and he felt happy that the gym leader held his cooking in such high-esteem especially since he didn't really think his good was all that good, he still took the other man's words to heart. "Should we had back to the Pokemon Centre?"

Since they had finished their meal, it made sense to the teen that the two of them returned to the Centre as he felt certain that it wouldn't be too long until Sirius had returned with Norman in tow.

Volkner glanced down. "I was thinking that the two of us should explore the city. I've never really had the chance too before, not even when I was a trainer. Actually, there's a statue located at the middle of Eterna City that resembles the Legendary Pokemon, Palkia."

"Palkia?" Harry frowned, and blinked. "Legendary?"

"Check your Pokedex," Volkner suggested with a soft laugh, looking a tad amused by the question.

Not wasting any time the wizard dug through his pockets pulling out his Pokedex. "Can you bring up the Pokemon known as Palkia?"

"_Pokemon registered: Palkia. Searching records,"_ The Pokedex beamed, the bulb's green glow began to flicker rapidly. "_Searching... searching... Pokemon found. Palkia, the spacial Pokemon. A Water/Dragon type, only located within the Sinnoh region, it is said that this legendary Pokemon's breath is capable of stabilizing space."_

Oddly enough, the Pokedex did not show an image of the so-called 'legendary' Pokemon. Had it been because there was no record of it's appearance or because it wasn't in front of him? The teen wondered pressed his lips together, frowning thinly at the information that the Pokedex had given. It sounded that Palkia possessed a great deal of power, whether that this was truth had yet to be seen. Legends were capable of becoming obscured through history, becoming distorted and even intentionally being misleading. It didn't really surprise him to hear that a Pokemon was capable of doing that, from the encounters of the Pokemon that he had encountered so far Harry was certain that Palkia's power only mere the very tip of the iceberg.

"So," Harry began pushing his thoughts aside. "Is Palkia hailed like a deity here?"

"That's a good question, I was born in Kanto even though my mother was purely born in Sinnoh. Some people hail them as such, others merely view of them as power Pokemon, and few see them as just myths." The gym leader answered honestly, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I can't really give you an honest answer. Everyone's different. But to say that Palkia actually exists? I'd believe it. This world is filled with many mysterious that I doubt that we'd be able to solve them all. Though if Palkia exists that must also mean that it's counterpart, Dialga must also exist too."

The wizard blinked. "Dialga?"

"He's the partner to Palkia, being the temporal Pokemon." Volkner answered whimsically, with a small smirk. "Basically it rules over time."

Time? That made Dialga one of the most powerful Pokemon. Harry shuddered at the idea of going up against a Pokemon that had power over time itself, he had learned his lesson about time travel back during his third year. Once was enough for him.

"So... did you want to check out the statue, I mean we don't have to go if you don't want to; I thought maybe you know," Volkner shifted awkwardly, his cheeks turning a faint shade of red. "We could... go together, I thought it would be nice. After all it's just you and me right now."

The teen blinked rapidly at the suddenness of Volkner's words. "N-no, I mean sorry. Yes, I'd like to go. With you, I mean. It would be great, thank you Volkner!"

Harry was no stranger when it came to the attraction of men, having small crushes upon certain individuals such as Bill Weasley and even Cedric at the time during his fourth year. He never acted upon those feelings, having never truly spent time with either of the two long enough to strength the attraction that he held for them. Volkner, on the other hand was quite different from that, spending majority of their time together, when Sirius wasn't around. Needless to say, Harry truly enjoyed the blond's company, it... felt right. The two of them being together like this.

Though the teen would fully admit he didn't truly understand what exactly he felt for Volkner. What Harry could decipher from them was that whatever the feeling was, it was simply stronger then mere friendship. But to call it love? Harry couldn't help but wonder on that.

Another question had appeared in his mind, was Volkner even attracted to the same gender? Harry could tell that the blond wouldn't let just anyone get close to him, or open up to them. Yet, here he was spending time with Harry, talking openly and eagerly attempting to make conversation with him. It... Bewildered him, knowing how Volkner preferred to remain quiet opposed to speaking. It made his heart feel warm and light, seeing that the gym leader was willing to be talkative around him.

The two had arrived at the statue as Harry found himself staring up at the giant dragon sculpture in awe, it was a rather large statue. Bigger than the ones he had seen back at Hogwarts, holding a powerful atmosphere that practically pulled people in. In appearance Palkia looked quiet odd compared to the dragons that Harry had become accustomed to, before chiding himself since the statue of the Pokemon before him had powers beyond mere normal Pokemon; it made sense it would look far more different. Even so, Harry didn't really feel intimidated by the dragon and it wasn't because the Pokemon wasn't in front of him, he simply didn't. The strange 'padded' like armor upon the dragon's shoulder and the 'strips' along the dragon's body, the horns on Palkia's head reminded him of a Minotaur.

Even if the Palkia before him had been a statue the teen could almost feel the power that resonated within it, his eyes remained fixated on the statue slowly making his way towards it. Politely passing by a small crowd of tourists that took pictures of Palkia, walking away once finished.

"A –Ahhhhhh!" The shift of his weight changed, feeling his foot getting caught landing face first onto the ground. A sharp and quick cry escaped Harry's mouth throwing his head towards what had caused him to trip. It wasn't that painful. The teen pushed himself off the ground as Volkner came running towards his side, placing his hands upon his shoulders. "I'm fine, Volkner." Harry reassured the blond, with a smile, though he had felt rather embarrassed that he had tripped so easily.

Volkner's eyes widened a fraction, making his expression by coughing and averting his gaze. "I-I know that," The man remarked lamely. "Can you move?"

"I'm _fine_." Harry repeated emphasizing on the world, eyes glinted with bemusement while looking towards the object that he had tripped over. A brownish like object pointed out from the ground, covering underneath the earth. A tingle ran through his body, moving towards the object beginning to dig with his bare hands in order to get at the object; eventually managing to uncover the square like object. It had been rather light in terms of weight and small sized in terms of width. "What is this?" It was so tiny that the object looked like a small dot in his palm.

Volkner frowned, bending down in order to get a good look at the object. "I... have no idea. It's nothing that I've never seen before," The gym leader eyed him in amazement and wonder.

"Think we should call Professor Rowan?" Harry asked, staring at the small object in his hands curiously and worriedly.

"That might be a good idea, hopefully he'll relatively have some good idea of what exactly this thing is." Volkner looked at the object again, gesturing towards as placing his hand upon his shoulder beginning to guide the younger back to the Centre.

* * *

><p>"It seems that the trainers that prevented us back in Jubilife city are here in Eterna City. What should we do?"<p>

A woman wearing an odd space like uniform appearing from the darkness, covered in blacks, grey's and white standing confidently. "Simple. Not only have they interfered with Team Galactic's business but they also managed to defeat us. We can't let that go unsettled now can we?"

"C-Commander Jupiter?"

Jupiter merely smiled at the grunt. "I have been tasked by our leader to eliminate them." Her smile took a sadistic turn. "And I won't fail."

* * *

><p>Chapter 14 end.<p>

After a nice, and dreary long wait chapter fourteen has finally arrived! This chapter was actually finished around the time the first time X and Y had been announced; that said, I was unaware at the time of Azumaril's type change from water to fairy; for the time being I'm keeping it as a singular type but will touch up it's secondary typing carefully in order to keep up with canon. So please keep in mind for that!

Another thing has been brought to my attention; Harry DOES have his wand on him. It was by my fault that I made it sounded as if he didn't have one; that is a typo and is aimed to being fixed.

Chapters fifteen and sixteen are completely, both currently under editing. Please look forward to them!

Have a happy holiday and a happy new year!

Can anyone guess which trainer Azumarill belonged to?

Sirius' new Pokemon  
>Azumarill<br>Gender: Female  
>Nature: Modest<br>Type: Water  
>Ability: Huge Power<br>Attacks: Hydro Pump, Water Gun, Ice Punch, Double-Team, Scald and Toxic.

Driftloon  
>Gender: Female<br>Nature: Mischievous  
>Ability: Aftermath<br>Type: Ghost  
>Attacks: Minimize, Hypnosis, Disable, Body Slam, Astonish and Gust.<p>

Norman's new Pokemon:

Shroomish  
>Gender: Male<br>Nature: Bold  
>Ability: Effect Spore<br>Type: Grass  
>Attacks: Absorb, Tackle, Stun Spore, Leech Seed, Bullet Seed.<p> 


	15. Vs Commander Jupiter

Chapter 15: Vs Commander Jupiter!

"Fascinating! Positively fascinating, I have never seen anything like this in my entire life!"

The sheer bafflement Professor Rowan felt appeared in his voice. His eyes glimmering with excitement, he observed the strange objects that had been found not that long ago. A device from his side was being held out gaining a closer inspection, while he was staring intently and critically at the objects, making sure the items didn't change from his scans. His hand steadily stroked his chin, his humming reaching their ears faintly. Moments passed until the professor leaned back in his chair, a gaze of interest remained within his eyes, yet he kept his facial expression controlled. Professor Rowan remained silent tapping the side of his shoulder. The tapping ceased seconds later, leaning over the desk he gained the group's attention once again.

After discovering the strange plate-like object Volkner and himself had quickly made their way back to the Pokémon Centre, hoping that Rowan would have an answer as to what the object in question was, since even the electric leader wondered what it could be. Upon arriving at the Centre the two had found Norman and Sirius waiting there with a similar plate except the coloring had been deep shade of blue almost black as the one that they had found was more maroon; yet the appearance beyond that were completely similar to one another. Both of them carried the same strange whiff of power resonating quietly before them, it had been faint. Barely even noticeable unless one had paid attention, or perhaps it had just been him. Dismissing that thought, Harry remained at the back of the four watching the Professor intently, waiting to see just what he would say about the plates.

However, the teen had a feeling that not even Professor Rowan had any idea of what they were. His reaction given once they had shown him had proven that the chances of the man having any knowledge on the subject might be fruitless, throwing around theories was good and all, the truth always ended up being something entirely else. The question remained was what to do with the plates? Send them to the Professor and have him research it or keep with them incase they managed to find more?

Since they discovered two obviously there were going to find more than that. Harry wouldn't even be remotely surprised if they managed to find more along the way, which further enticed his curiosity about the plates even more.

"One of my students is currently in Eterna City. She might have a better idea of what these might be, I don't know how long she's in the city for. So all of you best get into contact with her when you have the chance," Professor Rowan rang Harry out of his thoughts, gaining his attention once more. The gruff man coughed slightly. "I will send a message, just so that she's aware that you're looking for her."

"Thanks Professor Rowan," Volkner appeared a tad confused by this but accepted the offer nonetheless. "We'll all stay in touch."

The screen went blank hearing the Professor give his farewells to them.

"So there are things that even Professor Rowan doesn't know of," Sirius commented, not surprised and even looked a bit relieved at his own words. It had been puzzling watching as his godfather wearing that type of expression, whirling his head at them. "Let's go find this student of his then."

Norman frowned, eyes downwards. "What about the plates? Leaving them out in the open wouldn't be such a good idea. I think we should bring them with us, I'm sure that Rowan's student would like to take a look at these." The gym leader remarked, thoughtfully changing his posture and smiled. "It would save us a trip back to the Centre." His arms folded against his chest, humming lightly. "Though perhaps we should check in with Nurse Joy to make sure our Pokémon are healed before heading, might be a good idea."

"... Did you two end up getting into a battle in the forest?" Volkner's lips twitched bemused at the thought.

Before his fellow gym leader could get a word in Sirius cut in. "You can definitely say that we got into a battle," A smirk slide on his face. "You could say it was frightful!" The smile that had been on his face didn't last long, Norman jabbed his elbow into Sirius' ribs keeping a content gaze on his face, ignoring the sound coming from the other.

"Something like that, yes." The normal gym leader confirmed easily, his expression remained the same.

Harry and Volkner wisely decided not to divulge further. "So... does anyone even have a vague idea of where this student of his even is?" Harry decided to change back to the subject at hand, frowning. "We don't even know who this person is, or where we should even look for them." Since Rowan had already sent the person a message he assumed that they'd come looking for them, but he couldn't see any of them remaining in the same place waiting for that person. It might be easier for them to go looking for the student in questions instead of waiting around for them to show up.

"Knowing a student of Rowan's probably outside of Eterna City observing the wild life," Volkner quipped, shrugging his shoulders disinterestedly.

Sirius remained silent. "What makes you say that?"

"Professor Rowan prefers his students, his staff anyone under him to be out there rather than being stuck in a lab all day. At least that's what I remember when I first received a Pokémon from him, things could have changed since I became a gym leader." The leader didn't seem all that worried despite his words, lazily yawning upon finishing. "So are we going to be standing around here all day or what?" He arched an eyebrow sarcastically, lips pressed together faintly turning his sapphire eyes towards them.

"I'll come along. Standing around here all day isn't going to get anything done," Harry remarked approaching Volkner with no hesitation, throwing his gaze back at the two adults. "You two are both welcomed to wait here for Rowan's student while we go searching through the city. We'll have both of our bases covered."

Splitting up to cover their ground sounded like a good plan allowing one of the two groups to get in contact with whomever they were supposed to meet with. A small image of an older Hermione briefly flashed through his mind, rather stereotypical view which he admitted. However, his exposure to scientific minds and scientists in general solemnly had been Professor Rowan and Hermione, of course, he didn't doubt that several others held high intelligence but Hermione always strived to go beyond mere facts (even if the majority of her knowledge came from books) and her drive to prove others wrong; despite how bossy she came off most of the time. The very short time that Harry had come to known Professor Rowan, the man had proven himself to be very intelligent though he didn't entirely know what main area of research Rowan focused on, the professor came off as someone that would pursuit a subject no matter what others say.

That had been something to admire given the fact that the Professor didn't seem to care what others thought about him, unless he directly asked for their input. Harry wished that he had gotten the chance to know the man a bit more before leaving for their journey, that said; he felt grateful for Rowan's consultation and words. Maybe, they'd be able to discover the truth behind the plates sooner rather than later.

"I'm not sure if separating up is such a good idea." The normal gym leader mused, his lips pressed down into a tight and thinned frown, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "It's not that I distrust the two of you, both of you are old enough to look after yourselves and are strong enough to be on your own, nonetheless I'd rather the four of us stick together for the time being." His tone held nonsense leaving absolutely no room for any of them to provide an argument against him. "The four of us go together. Alright," It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

The hardened tone from the normally calm, and gentle gym leader had been a bit surprising since Norman hardly ever showed his disciplinary side. His facial expression took a stoic turn removing any of the leader's naturally serene expression, his arms were folded against his chest showing that he stood firm upon his words.

Harry resisted the urge to sigh, realizing then and there that putting up a fight against Norman would prove to be utterly useless. His heart twisted slightly at the feeling of concern that the man showed them, even if it was subtle, Harry had been around Mrs. Weasley enough to spot the underlying worry that Norman had for them but felt even more touched at the fact that he outright stated that he trusted them. No adult, with the exception of Sirius, had explicitly stated that they trusted him. The manner had been rather simplistic it meant a great deal to Harry for him to hear that, due to his own lack of trust that he had for most adult figures, a handful of them he trusted which he could honestly count on his one hand alone.

"So, where should we go then?" Harry gave in, deciding to go with Norman's plan instead. "We don't even know where this student is or what they look like."

"I'm aware. Which is why I'm suggesting that we leave a message for Nurse Joy, if the student ends up arriving at the Pokémon Centre while we aren't there, she can relay a message to them. That way the chances of us meeting up with them would increase plus we'd also get a good description of them in the process and vice versa," Norman answered calmly, his body language seemed to soften somewhat keeping the confidence he always held. "Either way, we'd have a way to track down our notorious student."

Volkner frowned. "That seems a bit of a long shot if you ask me."

"It might be, yes." The gym leader inclined his head agreeing with Volkner, ignoring the surprised stare from the blond. "At least it's something. Unless, you have a better idea?"

The blond frowned falling into complete silence his eyes flickered to the ground for several moments before prying away locking back onto Norman's. "No," Volkner admitted begrudgingly. "I don't."

"First things first where should we even go?" Sirius interrupted, cutting into the conversation rubbing his temple.

The two stilled wearing very similar looks of bewilderment. Apparently, both of them hadn't even thought of where they could even begin their search barely thinking ahead; of course, Harry knew he couldn't talk due to his own experiences since his habits ranged from jumping straight into things without thinking or half-assing it along the way, everything managed to work out in the end. His lips pressed together thinly, watching the three continue to think over the possible areas which they should being their search. One thought instantly came to mind.

"What about the museum? None of us have bothered to check it out yet, right? That might just be the place the student could be, researching there." The teen supplied, it might not have been much to go one but it had been the only thing that Harry could think of where the Rowan's student could possibly be. "We're planning on checking out the museum while we were here, I think that it might be a good place for us to start. We can start eliminating place by place. Who knows, maybe they might be there this very second for all we know." That had been a bit of a stretch Harry knew it all too well, nonetheless the possibility remained until proven wrong. "We might also be able to learn more about those plates that we found too..." His voice trailed off, hesitantly, not as confident in that theory as he'd like.

"A museum?" Sirius sounded doubtful. His godfather had a briefly look of rebelliousness flicker on his face before shrugging his shoulders.

Norman sent him a smile. "It's a sound idea; we don't have any other ideas. We might actually find something useful there."

His godfather kept silent eventually relenting in the end, nodding briskly in agreement keeping his mouth shut and at least attempted to look interested.

Eterna City's museum's location wasn't that far from the Centre. While still a great deal away the time it took to reach their destination, almost in a blink of an eye. Walking-wise, anyway. The building had been rather small in appearance outwardly, however the width of the museum had been quiet lengthy in comparison making up for the shortness. Nonetheless, it had a captivating feel towards it painted with colors that brought forth a serene surrounding the entirety of it, that sense brought in the crowds which waited outside which the four had joined the line quickly patiently standing as more and more patrons began to enter the museum. Moments quickly passed by allowing them entry inside, passing by the desks before being guided into the main hall of the museum.

The hallways diverged into different sections each leading to a different exhibit being hosted, Harry kept in the group which they had been assigned eyes peering upon the various paintings that came within inch of his sight. He knew next to nothing about art, never truly being interested in that area. Until now; appreciating the beautiful canvas that hung on the walls in a decorative manner and sitting steadily once coming into view. Murmurs emerged from the various patrons praising the artwork before them in rushed, harsh whispers amongst one another as they were ushered onwards by their guide; He managed to get a faint explanation on some of the paintings from Norman, whom was keeping his voice low enough for them to hear and not get caught speaking when the guide addressed them. Harry's mind toned in and out on occasions between the two while taking the time to look around them on his own volition and enjoying the various works that were in the vicinity, not that he didn't appreciate the details surrounding them, in fact he had been very happy at the gym leader keeping them updated about what he knew.

For as long as Harry had known Norman it never struck him that the gym leader had a strong interest in the arts. He came off as the complete opposite! More and more sides of the man came to light in each passing moment, Norman never really talked about himself or much about his past keeping his lips tightly shut. He never pried into their pasts either, respecting their privacy. To say how thankful the two had been for that wouldn't be enough, human curiosity always seemed to led to trouble yet the man's body language while sincere did have it's tensions moments; Harry recalled recalling how the man reacted to the phone call from his hometown.

The teen shook his head snapping out of his thoughts, it wasn't his business. Any of their business really, since Norman didn't pry into their secrets he planned on showing him the exact same respect in turn. They all had the right to keep their secrets to themselves and away from others.

Harry snapped out of his thoughts hearing the guide allowing them to explore the room on their own leisure for several minutes. Deciding to indulge more into the artwork several paintings were strange, rather out there to the point where it hardly made any sense unless one had been the painter; there were others that came into view which instantly gained his attention and were heavily detailed in a mixture of dark and light textures that complimented the portrait. Just how long did it take painters to paint them? It seemed that finishing works like these would take much longer than a simple few hours, probably far more than a number of days. In their own way each of the paintings were impressive in their own right, yet there were still many of other forms of art that he had yet to see.

A tingle of guilt wormed into his heart his head fell down. He felt comfortable being here, with everyone and thoroughly enjoying this brand new world. Yet... as much as he missed his own world, Harry didn't feel guilty for being unable to return.

"What's wrong pup?" Sirius appeared behind him, curious and concerned approaching him from behind. "You looking a little down there, Harry..."

Harry blinked surprised by the bluntness of the question, masking his expression while curling his lip. He remained silent inwardly wondering how to give him a proper answer, describing the feeling he felt was rather difficult. "Sirius," The teen began quietly. His body shifted uncertainly, eyes glancing towards his godfather keeping a steady gaze. "Do you think it's wrong for me to not feeling guilty about not being able to return home? I mean, at first I wanted to get home as quickly as possible since I missed everyone. But... we're free here. We can start over here. I'm enjoying traveling around with Norman, our Pokémon, and Volkner, seeing everything that this world has to offer." A soft smile slide upon his face thinking about what he said, it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Is it wrong to feel the way that I do?"

"Not in the least." His words were stern placing both hands upon his shoulders gazing seriously. "Harry, you and I weren't even happy back in our home. Don't think you can lie to me, I can't honestly blame you for thinking like that. Otherwise I'd be one hell of a hypocrite, kiddo. Going to be honest with you here, I'm helluva glad not being able to go back. Things were shit there and you know it! It's a clean slate for the both of us. You should never feel guilty about how you feel, Harry." His eyes softened pressing his lips into a gentle, reassuring smile. "Your parents would be proud of you, knowing that you were adapting and living the way you want to live. I'm sure that if Ron and Hermione were here, that they would understand you."

The teen remained quiet complimenting over his godfather's words. Sirius had a good point about how unhappy both of them were back in Wizarding world, his anger problems along with the constant sheep that ridiculed him from the Daily Prophet's influence; Sirius had it worse with everyone outside of the order believing him to be a mass murder and turned into a prisoner within his old home while dealing with certain individuals in Grimmauld that whom added to the insanity that built up inside of the man. Getting away from that horrid house had been good for Sirius, the idea of confining him in his old family home had been a stupid idea, having freeloaders that constantly fling insults at him at every turn wasn't very helpful either as Harry had often had to control himself from snapping at the residents in Grimmauld Place; more so Mrs. Weasley and Professor Lupin than anyone else.

It didn't matter now. That was the past, and there were more important things to focus on now. The tingle of guilt had remained somewhat becoming smaller, admittedly Harry did miss his friends but only them.

"Thanks, Sirius." Harry murmured to him, giving a genuine smile.

Sirius tussled his hair carelessly, grinning ear to ear. "No problem, kiddo. It's what I'm here for!"

A huff of annoyance escaped his lips pinning a pointed stare upon his grinning godfather, Harry rolled his emerald eyes exasperated but his mouth twitched in hidden amusement. Very few people were permitted to touch his hair, messing it up in the process; mainly that job fell either to Sirius or upon one of the twins.

At the corner of his eye he noticed Norman waving the two over towards another painting near the other end of the hall, Sirius moved towards him in a quick walking pace actually appearing interested. Rather then moving to join the two immediately, he took his time walking over wanting to see the rest of the hall before heading to the next room. His eyes tore away gazing around the room, Harry frowned. Where exactly was Volkner?

Had he already moved to the exhibit or had something come up? Somehow, Harry didn't find himself surprised by that fact since in the little time that they had come to know one another he found himself understanding the older a bit more than he realized at times. Which must have been why he wasn't too worried about the electric gym leader, Volkner would rejoin them when he was able too. With that out of the way the wizard rushed to join Sirius and Norman by their side without a hesitation.

Volkner had his complete and total faith after all.

* * *

><p>"I know you didn't call me out just to exchange pleasantries. Instead of wasting pointless chit-chat let's just cut straight to the chase." Volkner had been in no mood to deal with inane, frankly finding it boring. His back slouched against the wall, sliding his hands into his pockets gazing at the figure disinterested. Choosing a dark corner in the museum to hide from prying eyes had been for the best, neither himself nor his so-called companion wanted to end up on the front page of the news paper, the tabloids would have a field day. Not that he particularly cared, never having been one to acknowledge what other people thought about him especially the media, knowing blood hungry they could having been on the receiving end of numerous articles from them much to his cringe and Flint's glee. He'd much prefer to stay far away from the newspaper regardless.<p>

There were some individuals that were unable to avoid such things. From time to time he had been forced to appear on certain television shows; news, game shows, educational channels; the usual. The majority of the limelight fell upon the champion of region; Cynthia, the current champion.

Very little had been known about Cynthia, where she came from remained to be a mystery even amongst the Elite Four; yet that wasn't something that mattered to them or the people of Sinnoh. She had proved herself time, and time again to be a capable champion that balanced the qualities of being a battler and a role model for all the trainers that were scattered through the region. Her power so far had been unmatched by anyone, managing to defeat challengers that appeared before her with utter easy, keeping dignified in her victories never looking down upon an opponent and accept every battle professionally. An intelligent woman that carried herself with solemn confidence and strength, she won the hearts of everyone that came by her; but that didn't mean Cynthia was a push over. She had the skill and power to back up her strength, with and without Pokémon.

She was of the few people that offered him a challenge outside of his fellow gym leaders. The question remained as to why Cynthia called him here to meet with her? His lips pressed thinly together, as friendly person she was, Volkner wasn't dumb enough to believe that this had been a social call. A tingle of annoyance surged with him seeing that knowing smile resting upon her lips staring back, Cynthia always come off that way; being a scholar, a seeker of acknowledge and an amateur archeologist, it didn't irritate him any less.

Cynthia remained silent. "I heard from Flint that you left your position to go around traveling through Sinnoh with two new trainers. At first I had been a bit surprised to hear that, knowing how attached you are to Sunnyshore, when I saw you yesterday walking around the city with those three, I had to acknowledge what Flint said had been true." She answered him calmly, lips pressed together faintly into a small smile. "You looked very happy, Volkner. I'm happy for you."

His eyebrow lazily rose taken slightly back by the sincere words from her. Not unwelcome, nor out of character of Cynthia given her personality it simply had been rather unexpected. His brows knitted confused. "Thanks?" Really, how was one to respond to that? What did she even mean 'looked very happy' anyway? "How about instead of showering me with sentimental words tell me the real reason that you're here." Volkner pressed on, massaging his temple finding their chat starting to bore. "I remember fairly well that I requested we skip all the bullshit." Perhaps he had been a bit too rude; unfortunately the electric leader couldn't find himself caring at that point wanting to get back to Harry and the other two rather ASAP.

"I'm sure that you're aware of Team Galactic. Correct?" Her eyes narrowed considerably.

Volkner snorted. "Battled them in Jubilife City, they didn't put him much of a fight. Pretty pathetic if you asked me."

"Yes, that I heard from the two trainers that you saved. I thought it would be a good idea to inform you of the recent sights of Team Galactic, notably here in Eterna City. I've passed a message to Gardenia as well, she's keeping her eyes peeled for them." The Sinnoh champion began calmly, arms folded against her chest. "I don't exactly know what they're after, but it can't be anything good. After talking with the other region's champions; I fear the worst for the Sinnoh region. I think dark times might be approaching us in the near future." For that sheer moment of time there had been a brief flicker of worry flash through her normally composed expression, eyes lamenting the possibilities that might befall Sinnoh.

Damn it. Comforting someone wasn't his strong point, especially when it came to women. "I'm sure nothing bad will happen, Cynthia. We're not Hoenn, not Johto or Kanto region. Everything will work it's self out, worst case scenario we Sinnoh gym leaders will step in and deal with Team Galactic. So... don't worry," Volkner expressed, awkwardly. It sounded far better in his head.

"Hmm..." Cynthia's eyes closed briefly, opening them into gentle slits replacing the worried frown with a serene smile. "You're right Volkner. I'm probably worrying too much, thank you. If there are any more updates on Team Galactic, I'll will send you a message to keep you updated on the events surrounding them." She promised, tilting her head politely in gratitude. "I apologize for taking you away from your group. But before I head off, I would like you to have this." Cynthia approached him holding up an egg that had been within her bag, handing it towards him. "I think the egg would be best suited with you rather than myself."

Volkner hesitantly accepted the egg, frowning. "You sure I'm the right person for this?"

"Absolutely," Cynthia responded positively. "I've wasted too much of your time already, until we see each other again." Holding her arm into the air waving good bye, almost vanishing from site upon exiting the building coolly.

Silence reigned over the blond. Several moments passed his brain registered the sudden fact that he now had a Pokémon egg in his hands, an overwhelming urge to groan swelled up inside of him wrapped said egg into his arms. Taking a moment Volkner suppressed that little urge staring at the gift that Cynthia had so graciously bestowed upon him.

"How am I going to explain his one?"

* * *

><p>Perfect. Just bloody perfect.<p>

Harry had become distracted by the sculptures before him, lined up in a coordinated fashion complimenting one another where they stood. Each statue felt like they fit together, almost like a puzzle piece that had been dismantled before being put back together. It wouldn't surprise Harry if the excavated these statues from their location and attempted to place them in a manner where they'd fit perfectly, or an educated guess at best. Tearing his eyes from the display Harry's attention returned upon the fact he ended up getting separated from Sirius and Norman, it had been for simply a split second and now he was standing alone. How embarrassing.

The two couldn't have gone too far. Besides, they had their Poketch's on them, all he had to go was ring them up or send them a message if need be. Plus Harry felt certain that there was only one way in and out of the museum anyway.

"Might as well take this time looking at the rest of the exhibit," Harry murmured to himself, strolling along the hallway gazing around at the many artifacts against the wall which mixed with many displays or were a standalone; some where even encased in glass through the middle of the aisle. Humming lowly with interest, they looked fascinating from his view reading through the minor summaries that were posted in front of each stand with written notes to the sides of the tag.

It had been rather calming to noticed that this world and his world had similar backgrounds in terms of history, having passed through the renaissance exhibit before entering the industrial side that he currently occupied. Of course, there were differences between here and there, a huge emphasis lied upon Pokémon here. Which made sense since everything seemed to revolved around them, no matter where they had gone too it seemed that almost everything catered towards trainers as well as their Pokémon. At the beginning it had been strange, almost difficult getting use to but as time went on, gaining more of a perspective from Volkner and Norman, seeing trainers with their teams and being around their own Pokémon had been a huge eye opener for him. Humans and Pokémon co-existed together because they needed one another; they worked together as a single entity to keep their world working.

If only the wizarding world had realized such things then perhaps both sides might have been able to live together, though with the animosity from the Purebloods and families like the Dursley's with their irrational fear of magic; maybe things were best left alone. It pained him to think like that, after everything he had been through. By no means did that mean Harry agreed with that philosophy but he acknowledge many reasons as to why the two sides were kept separate and in secretly, hopefully things would change now that Voldemort was gone and no longer causing trouble. It wouldn't be easy, of course, but it wasn't impossible.

Harry's lips curled tightly. Sirius and himself had kept a great secret away from Norman and Volkner, from where they were from plus their magic. He hadn't much use for magic in this world, for little things Harry would use them when either of them weren't looking, being discreet as possible, though in all honestly it wouldn't surprise him if Norman and Volkner were suspicious. After all, two people that knew one another but didn't know Pokémon? That wouldn't have struck a bell if the roles had been reverse, they had been lucky that their new friends hadn't interrogated them further instead of letting the matter rest. But, they wouldn't be able to keep it quiet forever. They would have to find out sooner or later.

The question remained whether the two would be able to accept magic?

Before Harry could continue, his line of thought someone zoomed by him knocking against him from the back. Emerald eyes glanced to the corner of his eye catching the figure cloaked in a navy hood covering their faces and concealing the rest of their body excluding their hands, one of them holding one of Harry's own Pokéballs! The perpetrator dashed away quickly realizing that they had been caught, unable to give Harry enough time to call out, not wasting any time he follow after them. His eyes kept locked upon them refusing to glance away, even for a moment. Harry wouldn't allow any of his Pokémon to be taken by a thief, quickening his speed he gained a good deal of distance upon the thief, the other threw two garbage cans throwing them down to the ground. Obviously attempting to use it to slow him down, it didn't work. Harry merely jumped over nonchalantly being used to such things.

Years of being chased by Dudley and his gang made him not just a good sprinter but a damn good runner too. The training sessions through Quidditch aided in strengthening his legs, getting stronger, and stronger each day; sore later in the days and during the week but it had been worth it. Between his spell work and that vigorous training it had helped saved him many times during his years at Hogwarts, particularly during the Graveyard. A flash of pain flickered on his face briefly before ignoring it, that was the past and that couldn't be changed.

He had to focus on the task in front of him.

A frown sliding, skidding put a sharp corner almost slamming into the side, hissing lightly his arm coming into contact with the edge. Hindering his movement for a brief moment losing ground to the thief, Harry growled slightly, the pain faded quickly. They continued to run for what felt like miles, his anger remained to flare inwardly pushing his legs to their limits. His teeth bite down upon his lips hard.

Just where was he being led to? Harry didn't have much experience when it came to chasing after thieves. His instincts on the other hand screamed internally, the thief probably thought he'd be able to ambush him once alone. A snort escaped his lips at the thought, Harry might not be the best battler but he'd at least put up one hell of a fight in the process. His Pokémon did have a few tricks up their sleeve, and he did as well! His mouth split into a feral smirk that stretched across his face menacingly.

The thief made a break away from an opening heading straight towards a large building. It looked brand new with glossy grey-blue paint and yellow roof flashing brightly under the rays of the sun, and had an antenna on top.

It didn't look that too out of the ordinary.

However, that didn't mean Harry trusted the appearance. He already learned that particular lesson once; he had no desire to learn it again. A small groan of annoyance shot through him upon realizing that his body had yet to register to stop, still following after the thief. He had been so determined to get back what had been stolen that everything else seemed secondary too him, managing to come to a halt he remained outside of the building a small distance from the sliding doors, staring. The thief disappeared inside once entering leaving him outside by himself, or at least Harry hoped that was the case. From what he could assume by merely looking around, there was no way the thief was alone.

Should he head inside Pokémon a-blazing or wait until the others arrived?

Decisions, decisions.

* * *

><p>Who knew that Muggles had such interesting things?<p>

A museum in the wizarding world would have been meet with much scorn from the purebloods, viewing it as a discrepancy against them and defiling 'sacred' grounds rather than leaving things as they were; curse breakers were only sent out to areas to excavate materials mainly used for research and to acquire gold for Gringotts; but for history? That was what scholar's were far. Why bother when they could send others to do their job while they could remain with their books, in turn not gaining experience and being safe! It made Sirius snort at the very thought, that was no fun at all! The only way to learn was to do; sure, now that he was older he could see the importance of books but in the long run that didn't go very much good beyond the basics. Experience were what truly counted in the long run!

Even as a child Sirius noticed how stubborn and set the rest of the Purebloods were. Unable to move forward with the times and embracing the new things in the world, choosing to hold onto century's worth of tradition leading them to help pave the way for Voldemort and his death eaters. Rather ironic.

"You're spacing out there," Norman's voice broke him out of his thoughts, smiling amused.

Sirius blinked out, returning a grin. "Ah, sorry I was just thinking." He admitted sheepishly, a tad embarrassed that he had been caught since Sirius hadn't meant to space out like that. This new world simply had shown him many amazing things that he would have never thought possible back in the wizarding world, each day seemed to hold something new to share with him. Sirius didn't view himself as obsessed with muggle things as Arthur was, but even he could not deny the glee and excitement that rushed through his body upon seeing, well everything, there was so much out there that he didn't know of! To him it was miraculous, wicked and bloody brilliant! For the first time in his life Sirius felt that he could finally understand the Weasley Patriarch's enthusiasm when it came to muggles; even during his youth. While he loved riding his motorcycle, listening to muggle music and wearing muggle clothing, Sirius never felt he truly appreciated it and understood it until now.

"If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them with me." Norman commented, chuckling quietly the smile remained softly on his lips.

"It was just about back home," Sirius shook his head, a half-truth at best. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself over, it's all in the past now I suppose. You certainly know a lot about art, was that your job before becoming a gym leader?"

The other man laughed. "Me? No, art is mainly a pass time of mine. A hobby really, my main interest lies in plants; I used to be a botanist back in Olivine City before registering to become Petalburg's gym leader in the Hoenn region." Norman answered honestly, his tone held excitement talking about his profession. "I'm pretty sure that I've told you this before. Either way, outside of my training with my Pokémon and my exercising that I spend my time painting and sculpturing."

"I've never seen you do either." Sirius informed him, taken back by that revelation.

Norman's eyes twinkled mischievously. "That's because I don't like people seeing my work until it's finished. Otherwise it would spoil everything, you'll get to see one of my new portraits when it's done."

"Really?" Sirius almost exclaimed, eagerly and curiously. Never once in his mind had he ever pictured Norman to be the type of person that painted! Throwing his head backwards, his grin widened. "Hey Harry..." The grin faded instantly, realizing that his godson was nowhere to be seen. Swallowing thickly, forming the words in his mind. Sirius' body shifted facing the other half of the room his eyes darting around from one place to the next, fear began to creep up on him. "Where is he?" All the humor from his body left him whirling around sharply trying to locate his godson.

"Harry isn't the only one that's missing." Norman frowned. "Volkner isn't here either. The last time we saw the two had been in the previous section, right? We'll head back from there, I doubt that they could have gotten far. We'll find Harry, Sirius." His arm gripped his shoulder reassuringly. "The guide won't notice us sneaking off. C'mon."

It didn't make much to have Sirius follow after him, keeping up with the man rather easily. "I never pegged you as a rule breaker before, Norman." This was meant to be in a teasing tone, if the situation wasn't serious. He knew that Harry was capable of defending himself, however, the teen also had the habit of having trouble following him where every he went. That alone made him worry even more about Harry, if anything ever happened to him Sirius wasn't sure if he could go on; no one understood how much his godson meant to him. Perhaps he had been a touch overprotective and worried, it simply how he was!

The gym leader didn't appear offended. "You'd be awfully surprised at the things I've done in my life," Norman responded cheekily, smirking back at him. His eyes rested upon him before turning back forwards, together dashing through the previous exhibits that they had visited.

The time that had been spent on searching for Harry started to make Sirius go mad! There was no way that he would have gone from the location unless there had been a good reason for it, hopefully things just turned out to be a misunderstanding and accident on Harry's part; though a dreadful feeling developed in his stomach that continued to grow with each passing moment. Worry soon enveloped his expression doing his best to keeping calm, mentally Sirius' thoughts were filled with concern for Harry while trying to balance them out his faith in him. It wasn't going very well, it only served to make him even more worried! It was almost disgusting for the wizard to have realized how much he had started to think on the same wave length as that banshee, Mrs. Weasley of all people!

Sirius almost shuddered at the idea of ending up like that woman! No disrespect to the woman (not that he had much anyway), but he refused to coddle others and act like he had a stick up his arse!

It took all of his willpower not to pull out his wand to cast a location spell just to find Harry. Rationalizing that acting recklessly wouldn't do any good, having learned that lesson thrice over. Getting pushed through the veil opened him his eyes realizing just how stupid he had been in the past, how much Sirius had lost because of his behaviour. The blame had been all on him, something that Sirius understood rather well choosing to accept and face those consequences rather than run away from them, being sent to this new world had been a blessing in disguise allowing him to restart his life and be the guardian for Harry that he had meant to be in the first place!

With Harry missing, Sirius felt that his failures as his godfather surfaced once more.

"Damn it where is he?!" Sirius growled angrily, his throat hoarse from all the shouting and running. They still had yet to run into anyone that might have seen Harry or Volkner for that matter, as much as he distrusted the electric leader at least with him his godson wouldn't be alone and in much safer hands.

Norman wore a hardened expression. "We should talk to security they might be able to look through the cameras to see if Volkner and Harry left the museum without either of us know, it could also show us where they might have left once leaving the building if their system extends that far." The gym leader remarked thoughtfully, eyes narrowing at the idea. "Worse comes to worse we could use Growlithe and Glameow to sniff out the area."

'That's not enough time!' Sirius roared inwardly, gritting his teeth together. As an animagus his sense had increased beyond that of a normal human being maybe even more so due to having spent a large majority of time in that form since his imprisonment in Azkaban in order to protect his sanity. His hand ran through his dark locks attempting to calm himself from the concealed frustration inside, all this talking wasn't getting them any further to finding Harry! "Fine." The wizard relented, growling slightly. "We'll talk with security-"

"What do you have to talk with security for?" The lazy drawling echoed in the air. Both adults snapped their heads to see Volkner standing there blankly staring back holding the egg in his hands. "What?"

Norman swallowed quietly. "If you're there..."

"And Harry isn't with you," Sirius whispered harshly.

Silence deafened the vicinity, exchanging horrified expressions as the realization sunk into their brains. Both pairs of eyes widened in unison beginning outright ignoring Volkner's presence almost entirely, together the two managed to snap out of their funk racing towards the security room ignoring the inquiry of their third companion. Giving a quick explanation to the museum staff of the current situation and backed up by Norman's plus Volkner's status as gym leaders they had been more than happy to lean them their aid; watching the footage that appeared on the screen of their group going through the exhibits. The screens flashed changing the scenes, it continued to surprise Sirius at how inventive muggles were, creating things like that!

Honestly, wizards would learn a thing or two from them!

His focus returned back to the screen catching the scene with Harry looking at one of the exhibits before heading off to chase after a shadowy figure that kept their head down. Sirius noted that the person in question swiping his godson's Pokéball before making a run for it, provoking Harry to run after him not much afterwards. Unfortunately, it only lead up to the part where Harry left the museum placing them back to square one.

Sirius's eyes landed upon the others in the room, slowly lowering his hand letting out his wand. "Point me," He whispered quietly watching carefully as his wand began to spin within his hand before landing towards out the door, allowing a smile to wiggly onto his face. At least that had been one thing; Harry's direction was forwards; rather obvious in the long run, at least it was something. Not delaying any more time than they already had he quietly made his way out of the room proceeding to the front of the museum on the outside. Unclipping his Pokéball from his waist he tossed it into the air revealing Growlithe to have emerged, his Pokémon growled happily, kneeling in front of him. "Growlithe I need you to sniff for Harry and lead me to him alright? He's in danger."

His Pokémon growled a ferocious growl in response. "Grow! Growlithe!"

"Good," Sirius had been proud to know that his Growlithe understood his words, watching as the canine set to work sniffing the ground quickly. Just as that though came to him the fire type jumped up and down in excitement, tail wagging happily gaining his attention. "Did you find him?"

"Gro! Lithe!" The fiery canine confirmed, nodding sharply circling around his feet pushing him forwards.

Sirius almost laughed. "Let's get going." He had waited long enough to find Harry like hell Sirius was going to wait any longer preparing himself to set off with Growlithe running forwards waiting for his trainer to catch up to him. His pace started to quicken managing to get a few feet from the building. "Lead the way Growlithe-!"

"Sirius!" Norman's voice caused Sirius to look back seeing him and Volkner running after him, waving an arm in the air. "Wait for us!"

Volkner grunted. "We're going together. Strength and safety in numbers," The blond commented.

"I don't want to drag the both of you into this," Sirius frowned. "But your help is appreciated." The more help the better in his opinion having those two along would certainly help things, if he had to have someone watch his back Sirius was glad it would be those two. His animosity to Volkner disregarded, acknowledging the blonde's strength in battle and ability as a seasoned trainer. "Growlithe has Harry's scent. Just like you said, Norman."

"I'm glad that I was able to help in some way," the gym leader accepted modestly. "Now let's go find Harry."

* * *

><p>"Pichu use <em>Thunder shock<em> to counter Zubat's _supersonic_, Bagon help out Nidorino with _Dragon Rage_ and back him up with _Poison Point_!" Harry ordered leaping to the side narrowly dodging a combination attack from a Stunky and Croagunk, hiding behind the countertop using it as a shield. He had been surrounded by similar looking galactic guys from Eterna City, it still continued to look rather dorky in his opinion. Thought it would have been more humorous if he hadn't been under siege; He poked his out head observing the battle watching as Bagon ran straight into Stunk with Pichu climbing over his head and unleashing a powerful Thundershock which spread widely shocking the various opponents then Nidorino used his attack in fury sending a flurry of white sharp needles flying at the Pokémon; managing to knock Zubat backwards into the wall and colliding into Stunky; unfortunately Croagunk used his arms to block the attack not being as effected as the others.

It had been rather stupid of him to enter the building without any back up, acting recklessly Harry stormed into the building proceeding as cautiously as he could get. He managed to get past several of the guards with ease until he had been unfortunately spotted upon trying to get to the next floor. That had been when the battle had erupted. At first Harry had managed to do rather well forcing them back but more and more Galactic members started to show up sending out their Pokémon almost robotically to attack, he could tell that his Pokémon were starting to get tired from all the fighting that they had been doing. Bagon wasn't as nearly as effected by the battle as the others since the dragon type had much more experience than they did. That meant if Pichu and Nidorino went down that only left him with Bagon since the thief took his Aerodactyl leaving him with only three. Not that the flying/rock type would have been much help in these close quarters, but he still wanted him back!

His mind whirled rapidly trying to think of an idea to finish off the remaining grunts before more showed up. Harry didn't even know how many were even in the building not that he desired to know anyway, the faster he retrieved Aerodactyl the better in his opinion. The curiosity as to why he had been targeted remained in his mind since the teen did recall the battle back in Jubilife City, it made him almost snort at the very thought of this Team Galactic seeking vengeance after trashing their lower members; almost laughable. However, Harry wasn't entirely dismissing the idea recalling how petty the Death Eaters could be.

Which made things a whole lot worse if that was indeed the case, they'd be targets from here on out and making this journey even more dangerous. His eyes narrowed issuing another command to his team flying over the countertop, glancing back just in time to see it being obliterated into smithereens.

Thankfully his luck had to kick in then and there!

'Oh this is starting to get stupid.' Harry scowled internally, sliding his wand out of his sleeve straight into his hand spiraling behind the couch. Inhaling sharply, his grip upon his wand gripped tightly breathing heavily waiting patiently for the right moment. He swallowed thickly, snapping upwards and sharply flicked his wrist.

"_Stupefy_!"

* * *

><p>What the hell had happened since he briefly departed from the group? It felt like everything went straight to hell after a few minutes, Volkner had mostly been caught up through Norman running slightly behind Sirius tagging behind Growlithe. The blond heavily wanted to groan upon seeing the footage and torn between wanting to throttle the thief that had stolen Harry's Pokémon; thieves were not something that the leader liked. Let alone could stand. So the thought of him introducing his fist to the thieves face were a nice imagery for him.<p>

"This has got to be the place," Sirius remarked firmly, staring up at the rather broken windows along the main floor on the building. Some smoke could be see faintly in the air before fading away into nothingness, the sounds echoing from within had also been a dead giveaway.

Volkner shot him a look. "Gee whatever gave you that idea?" The blond sneered at him.

"Stop it both of you." Norman cut in before Sirius could manage getting a word in. His expression darkened sending the two with a harsh stare that sent chills down the electric leader's back taking a step back in recoil. "Standing here snipping at one another like children isn't helpful. So get your act together. Both of you!" His words rather sharp like a knife. "I'm heading in. You two continue arguing outside you if you want." His pace quickened marching towards the front doors nonchalantly wearing a determined gaze leaving the two behind.

Volkner and Sirius looked at each other in silence proceeding to follow after him.

"Either of you got a game plan or are we just charging in guns blazing?"

Sirius snorted. "I think the latter is the only option we have."

"Hm," Volkner grunted, a feral smirk sliding across his face. "That's just fine with me. There's a whole lot of fun that can come with that!" Barging into the front door with a dramatic entrance, the swung open crashing into the sides of walls with a loud bang!

"Stupefy!"

The sound of Harry's voice quickly brought a smile to the leader's face turning towards the younger's direction. Volkner's smile switched into bewilderment seeing the stream of red light speed from the wooden object within Harry's hand flying across the room coming into contact with the Galactic grunts knocking them unconscious; several more streams of redness flew by in mere seconds. His eyes widened seeing the determined look on Harry's face, constantly moving never staying in the same place for long shouting strange words that he barely understood. Volkner had never seen anything like it before! Unable to keep himself from gaping at sight of what Harry was doing!

Just... what the hell?!

Sirius cursed underneath his breath. "Looks like there's no choice anymore!" Holding up a similar object his arm snapped to the side. "_Reducto_! _Silencio_!" The first had been blue light emerging from the stick flying towards the nearest object causing an explosion knocking several of the grunts back a few feet and the other hit another grunt off to the side silencing them completely. "Growlithe _Flame Wheel _now!"

Not wasting any time flames wrapped around the canine Pokémon charging straight into the fry forming a giant wheel and leaped into the air colliding against the Croagunk that was about to unleash an attack upon the small Pichu. Nidorino came to Growlithe's aid straight afterwards landing a Double-Kick to the poison/fighting type's face causing it to faint, Harry sent another stream of light to the trainer's side causing him to go stiff and collapse straight onto the ground with a loud thump.

"Sirius-?" Norman started only to be cut off by Sirius.

The long haired man shot him a glare. "Not now! Less talking and more fighting!"

The normal leader snapped out of his daze nodding sharply in turn, tossing a Pokéball into the air. "Let's go Slaking! Use _Hammer Arm_!"

"Rotom!" Volkner didn't waste any time joining in on the battle. "_Shock Wave!_"

Both of their Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs following through with the attacks issued to them, Slaking taking the lead by using Hammer Arm on the remaining Pokémon that were attacking them holding them off as Rotom snickered mischievously from behind the normal type and unleashed the electricity throughout the room; shocking the enemy teams. Bagon used Zenheadbutt on a nearing Stunky, which attempted to make a swipe at Rotom, eventually knocking back into a Glameow and ended up against the wall. The floor had been filled with unconscious Galactic grunts, their Pokémon and the damaged that had been spread around the room, it was an absolute mess for the most part.

Sirius dashed towards Harry pulling the teen into a fierce hug. "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"

"S-Sirius!" Harry gagged being stuffed into the man's chest. The teen wiggled attempt to prying himself from his godfather's hold, a silly grin appeared. "I-I'm fine, really. Besides it wasn't anything that I couldn't have handled. Still... thanks," he bowed his head.

"You have no idea how worried we were?" Sirius inquired, placing his hands upon Harry's shoulders but ending the hug. "Don't run off like that without us. We could have helped!"

The teen sighed lowly, appearing apologetic. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go off on my own like that! It just happened, they took Aerodactyl so I went chasing after the thief without stopping to think," His hand ran through his hair. "I'll try not to do that next time but I can't make any promises." Harry informed honestly, staring up at Sirius firmly.

Volkner opened his mouth to make a comment, curiously wanting to know what they hell happened with those sticks that they had and beams of light that came from them. However, Norman placed his hand upon his shoulder, silently shaking his head as his eyes flickered back onto them lingering there for several moments. He got the message loud and clear, relaxing his body and joined the older male in complete silence observing the two. There wasn't really much else for the two to do other than that. It didn't look like any of the Galactic grunts were up to the task of getting back up for another round, nor their Pokémon for that matter whom were laying on the ground next to their trainers. If they could even be called that!

The leader snorted, shaking his head at the thought. They'd have to make a call to Officer Jenny about all this, something the blond wasn't entirely thrilled about.

"It looks like we have a few uninvited guests I see. Not that I'm surprised, I had been wondering when you'd be arriving." A female voice echoed from above the stairs revealing to be a purple haired woman wearing a black and silver version of the Galactic uniform that spot near her neck had the yellow painted 'G' on it. Her uniform looked rather odd as did the strange bulb looking hair cut, the right side of her leg appeared differently opposed to the rest of her uniform coiled in silver and black spiral. She walked with upmost confident tossing a Pokéball up and down in her hand making her way down to the main floor staring at them. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Jupiter; One of the Admins of Team Galactic. It is my duty to ensure that you will remain out of Team Galactic's business hence forth."

Tension appeared in the air realizing that this woman had been the mastermind behind the theft. It had been a trap all along, and they had fallen for it! Volkner took a defensive stance eyeing the woman with a dark glower, his fingers tapping his Pokéballs impatiently. The others shared the exact same expressions, though he had been a bit surprised to see the hardened ones that were on Harry's and Sirius' face as those two stared down the woman with absolute loathing.

"I'm going to assume that Pokéball is mine." Harry stated coldly, his words held a steely edge and stared darkly at the woman. "I highly suggest you return her to me."

Jupiter's lips curled sarcastically, like she heard a joke. "Return? Now why would I ever return such a rare and powerful Pokémon like this? I intend to keep her alongside me for the time being, using Aerodactyl for our team's purposes. Of course, not that she or you will have a choice in the matter. You can't stop-"

"_Accio_ Aerodactyl's Pokéball!" Harry swiftly exclaimed, whipping out his stick making sharp movements as the ball flew straight out of Jupiter's hands and back into his own. A smirk appeared on his face, shaking his finger. "Rule number one," The teen commented, confidently and seriously. "Never underestimate your opponent no matter their age, you might be surprised at what they can do!" His smirk widened seeing the awe and surprise on her face.

"Nice thinking," Sirius murmured approvingly, his eyes remaining on Jupiter.

Just what the hell was that? Volkner still didn't understand anything at all, as much as he wanted to ask, the leader knew that this wasn't the place for it.

Jupiter swallowed thickly. "I... the footage on the cameras watching you battle our grunts. I never imagined that what I had witnessed turned out to be real, you certainly have many tricks up your sleeve." She remarked slowly, shaking her head firmly. "That doesn't matter now. I refuse to let some tough kids break into our headquarters and run amuck of things!" She unclipped a Pokéball from her belt, holding it up. "I, Jupiter, will take you on!" She tossed the Pokéball into the air. "Come forth, Skuntank!"

A rather ugly Pokémon emerged from the Pokéball revealing a bigger version of Stunky, the tail spiraled over the head of the Pokémon and kept it's rather menacing stare letting out a lazy hiss in retaliation towards them. It's claws were also sharper than before, overall it really wasn't anything too impressive.

"Skuntank, the fully evolved form of Stunky; it is known as the skunk Pokémon. Capable of unleashing a vile-smelling aroma through the tip of it's tail, the attack can reach up to 160 feet in range."

Volkner also chocked on his laughter. This was the Pokémon she was going to use again them? Oh she had to be kidding. "This is going to be easy," The blond snorted, shaking his head trying to stifle the laughter that threatened to emerge from his lips. "Rotom let's get this over quickly as possible. _Double-Team_ and _Confuse Ray_!"

"_Night Slash_!" Jupiter commanded, slashing her arm.

Rotom's copies quickly surrounded the poison team each of them charging the attack before firing at Skuntank, whom did a back flip sending out a dark purple edge at one of the copies making them vanish. The attack had missed due to the poison type jumping into the air, creating a distance between the two Pokémon. Skuntank used Poison Gas on Rotom, who countered that particular attack with Uproar to disburse the cloud into nothingness and used _Thunder shock_ shooting towards Jupiter's Pokémon like a missile on a mission making contact with the poison type. Skuntank's cries echoed through the room almost shattering the remaining glass windows, smoke soared from the body of the opponent, stunned and bewildered by the attack.

Jupiter's eyes narrowed, biting down on her lip in frustration openly glaring at her own Pokémon. "Skuntank use _Night Slash_ again!"

Skuntank remained laying the ground, forcing it's self up from the floor only to collapse once again on the ground. It seemed that her Pokémon didn't have that much experience in battle, and here Volkner had thought that those of the Admin rank would have been stronger then that! Needless to say, he had been rather disappointed with the turn out.

"It's done, Jupiter." Sirius interrupted coldly, eyeing her with a distance look in his eyes. "I highly suggest that you leave. Or else I can't guarantee your safety."

This had been the first time since Volkner had come to know Sirius that he had seen such a side to the man; dead and completely serious in his words. The blank expression written on his face spoke volumes to the gym leader never expecting such reaction and words coming from him, the menacing stance and air surrounded the older man. Sirius stood at the front of them ending up in a stare down with the woman, fear soon enveloped her face causing Jupiter to flinch back as she recalled her Skuntank before running off promising revenge against them!

"Shouldn't we chase after her?!" Volkner asked harshly, whirling around at him.

Harry shook his head. "Chasing after her wouldn't be worth the trouble." He answered him, lips pressing together into a thinned frown. "This won't be the last we see of her. That's for certain." His eyes flickered around the place carefully and calmly. "For now I think it would be a good time for use to regroup while we can, and talk too." Without any warning he returned the rest of his Pokémon back to their Pokéballs stumbling back to the centre, Sirius and Norman followed after him.

Volkner felt a migraine started to form at the back of his mind. This was going to be a long, long night.

* * *

><p>How... how did she manage to get defeated by a bunch of brats! Anger coursed through her veins wobbling through the hidden jet she had been given by her Master and Saturn, neither of them would be pleased to hear that she had gotten beaten and lost their headquarters in Eterna City. A minor loss in the grand scheme of things with the success they managed to acquire back in Valley Windworks, even though she had some bad luck as well, at least doing something right for a change; though it angered Jupiter upon realizing that their master would give Mars more praise then her! Her hands curled into fists at the very idea before calming down. Things were not as bad as she thought they were.<p>

The screen flickered for a moment before a communication channel opened upon her end. Her body stiffed following into a professional stance, suppressing the fear that threatened to overwhelm her from in within. Her hands gripped tightly upon the wheel staring forwards at the screen.

"What is your mission status, Jupiter?"

She knew that there was no escape. "... I am sorry, sir. It was a failure. They were far more powerful than I anticipated."

Silence had been received upon the other end of the call. No movement, nothing at all. That made everything worse as she continued to wear the facade of calmness to conceal her true feelings, maybe she were lucky there might be a chance were she might get off easily? The master had never been the one to use physical punishment as an example for failure, thankfully enough.

"I am disappointed Jupiter-"

"Sir!" Jupiter cut him off, composing herself after that little outburst. "My apologies for interrupting you, however, I did learn something rather important. Something I believe that would be use to our goals." A menacing smile appeared on her face, hoping that this information would prove to be useful for her master and all of Team Galactic. She wouldn't have brought up the subject if Jupiter didn't believe it's importance.

"... I'm listening."

* * *

><p>Chapter 15 end.<p>

It seemed once again, it has been yet another long wait for a chapter to arrive. But have no fear my readers for chapters 16 and 17 are currently being edited as we speak, with chapter 18 having been started!

Magic has been revealed and the enemy has began to show themselves before them! Unfortunately, it won't be their only worry!

Also, this chapter was written pre-X/Y revelation. So please keep that in mind in regards to 'Fairy' type, I will touch upon it but I am unsure whether or not to expand upon it during this generation or save it for a possible sequel, we shall see.

On another note: HOENN CONFIRMED!

Please leave constructive reviews!


	16. Truthful Bonds

Chapter 16: Truthful Bonds

"We need to tell them the truth."

Harry whirled around shooting him a glare. "I know that." His tone hard, briskly shifting his body away towards the sink, hands moving to the taps allowing the water to pour down. He splashed the water against his face several times, the cold sensation coming into contact with his skin sent a surge of relief through his body. A brief moment of peace before being forced to confront the two after the noon's little incident; his thoughts whirled viciously at the many conceivable possibilities that could be an outcome. Some were good, others not so much. He trusted Norman and Volkner, truly! However, human emotions were erratic, causing irrationality of things not understood to turn into hate. Something Harry knew rather well, unfortunately. Exhaling heavily, his fingers curled within the sink staring stoically at the lower part of the mirror for what felt like ages passed.

Delaying the inevitable had never been his style.

His godfather kept his nervousness hidden from him, trying to appear calm and confident in place his own anxiety at fear. "Are you sure you're ready, pup? Waiting another few minutes wouldn't do any harm," Sirius pointed out soothingly.

"No." Harry shook his head, resigning to the fate dealt. "Waiting any longer isn't going to solve anything. Let's just go and get this over with."

Silence reigned over the bathroom staring at the other reassuring each other through their eyes alone breaking contact in unison, emerging from the hall. Sirius took lead appearing first carrying an air of confidence around him; more so than usual. His face hardened slightly and kept his easy going expression at once. Trying to ease the tension that hovered over them similarly to a dark cloud, Sirius' hands were pocketed with one grasping onto his wand encase of the two needing to make a break for an escape; while he followed shortly afterwards at a close distance from his back allowing himself to peer around the section carefully rolling around to Volkner and Norman whom were sitting patiently in the room they were residing in for now.

Damn it... why was he so afraid? The teen wondered keeping his face blank and facing forwards. Harry didn't quite understand, rejection wasn't anything new to him experiencing it time and time again; this time seemed to be different.

Was it because... an overwhelming urge to groan in absolute stupidity started to surface; Harry acknowledge the fact that he had found Volkner attractive personality-wise and, of course physically as well; not that it mattered. Could the reason for the possible overreaction be due to that? It made him feel rather pathetic in the truth of it. Pathetic enough that Harry could even call it embarrassing at best. Even at the possibility of being rejected because of the truth, Harry still felt that the two deserved to at least know the entire story, hopefully both of them would be willing to listen to the very end before making their judgements. Whatever their perspectives might be; in the end everything would be out in the open.

In some ironic way Harry also felt relieved that he no longer had to keep secrets.

Even so, it still didn't make any of this easier. It made everything feel worse than it truly was but for good reason, running away from explaining wouldn't do either him or Sirius any good. At the end of the day he realized it would be much better to come clean instead of trying to ignore the problem at hand.

"We were wondering when you two were going to show up." Volkner's electric eyes glanced towards them, he parked himself near the table drinking a glass of water pushing himself up against the chair and turned his head towards the two. A blank expression rested upon his face observing the two in silence, pulling his leg over onto the other and folded his arms against his chest. His lips curled slightly before pressing together thinly as a brief emotion flicker through his eyes but vanished quickly back to being stoic. The blond tore his gaze away from them sliding into a more patient posture in the chair he had been sitting in.

Norman threw him a look, and turned towards them. "What Volkner meant to say is that we were worried since both of you were taking rather long in the bathroom. Is everything alright?" The concern passed through his tone eyeing them calmly.

"We're fine." Sirius waved his hand, dismissing the notion entirely striding over towards the bed and parked himself sitting near the gym leader, his eyes fixated on Norman and Harry lingering on them. "Sorry for the wait."

Harry knew he needed to speak up. "It's my fault. I took up most of the time in the bathroom," trying to calm and drown myself at the exact same time not that any of you need to know that. The wizard thought cynically choosing to place him into the second chair in the room which had been close to the door sitting in between Volkner and his godfather, feeling secure in the position. His fingers tapped rapidly on the handle of the chair, swallowing quietly. "So um... I'm sure that the both of you are rather curious as to what happened today, I mean of course you are. Who wouldn't be? We've been meaning to tell both of you everything for awhile now; it's just...we haven't gotten the chance to." Harry stumbled through awkwardly, lips pressed into a thin frown trying to convey his words properly. From his perspective he could have started off the explanation better, from here on out he'd try harder to convey his words.

Norman and Volkner remained silent several moments passed keeping their eyes on him. Taking the lead, the older rubbed his temple. "You don't have to tell us if you're uncomfortable, you're allowed to keep it to yourself." Norman began gently, his words soothingly and calm, giving off the parental feel precisely. "We're okay with waiting. Don't push yourself in order to satisfy our curiosity."

"No. I-it's fine," Harry's hand covered his face slowly running through his hair nervously. "You two deserve to know. Everything. I... just don't know where to begin."

The electric leader leaned forward. "The beginning always seems like a good start," Volkner offered kindly, mouth twitching into a small smile.

"I'm not good at this. Explaining, I mean. That was always Hermione's thing; she knew where to start and what to say." The perplexed expressions were a given. "Hermione is... was one of my best and closest friends back where we're from. The smartest girl on my generation! erm anyway that said um... well back where Sirius and I are from; Earth. Or another version of this earth anyway, there are two different sides that make up our earth; the magical side where we come from and the non-magical side that's called the Muggle world."

Norman frowned. "Muggle? That's rather narrow mind, isn't it?" His tone held a drop of disapproval, but refrained from commenting further.

"Magic?" Volkner had the wariest tone of scepticism eyeing them carefully.

Harry shot him an ironic look. "You saw me use it earlier today, is it really so much of a stretch to believe in it?"

"Yes."

A glimmer of truth gleamed from the sapphire blue eyes. Harry pulled out his wand casting a minor transfiguration spell transforming the miniature table within their room into a beautiful vase that held a flower within it, simple but nevertheless effective. At first having thought of using a feline from home to get his example across Harry opted not to, deciding to choose something less flashy and easy for the most part. There wasn't a need to waste unnecessary energy on a giant spell when a basic one had been enough to get his point across. Overdramatic was Sirius' style not his, he much preferred being subtle and direct when the time called for it.

Volkner remained nonplussed staring unreadably at the vase, Norman merely blinked at the action not entirely phased by his display of magic. After witnessing it during the battle some of the wondrousness might have been lost.

Still... a reaction might have been nice. Oh well, no time to waste over spilt milk.

"Our magic is capable of bending the very laws of nature and physics, there are certain limits and laws that come along with it. Everything in the world has some form of law towards them, what you saw in front of you was a branch of magic known as Transfiguration; alternating the form of something into another. It's a rather complicated and dangerous form of magic, if not used correctly." Harry continued further, taking some part of McGonagall's warning back from his very first year at Hogwarts, which stuck with him as the years had gone by. "Keep in mind that there are various branches of magic where we're from; for example I have an affinity for Defensive and offensive magic-"

"I much prefer Charms myself. Not to mention I can cook up several awesome runic spells too," Sirius smirked widely, proudly huffing his chest and slamming his fist against it.

The teen had been surprised by that little revelation, yet somehow runes seemed to fit his godfather weirdly enough. Shaking his head Harry returned back on course. "Anyway those are another two branches; Defence and Rune magic; the first is a mandatory course that all students have to go through in all seven years while Runes is an elective course in our third year," He informed the two. Harry wondered if he had been going rather fast and whether or not it would be best for him to slow down. "Erm do you either of you have questions so far?"

"In other words, you and Sirius are wizards like the ones from the old folktales." Norman remarked, stroking his chin thoughtfully at his words.

"That's spot on." Sirius said, not even surprised, smiling fondly at the other man.

The gym leader slowly began to smile back at Sirius staring, the two adults remained that way pulling their attention back to Harry casually. Had he missed something? They were acting weird. Both of them had been ever since they arrived in Jubilife City, obvious there had been an underlying change between them that left him rather befuddled eventually choosing to merely accept their new behaviour. The important thing had been that Norman and Sirius weren't fighting, in fact the two continued to get along famously with one another which brought much relief to him. Watching them interact with one another Harry could see the growing friendship between them; it seemed far stronger then the friendship with his former professor, as horrible of a thought. As much as Harry liked Lupin well... he hadn't been blinded to the tension between him and his godfather.

In the end that wasn't any of his business, just like this wasn't. The only thing that really mattered to him was that his godfather was happy, which he clearly seemed to be from what was evidence on Sirius' face.

However, it didn't seem that Norman was quite done with his questions. "I recall you telling me that you were fighting with your cousin, had that been the reason the two of you ended up in our world?"

"She is no cousin of mine." Sirius' serene expression changed into a stony, and angry face scowling deeply. "I loathe the fact that I share the same family name, the same blood as that psychotic woman!" His godfather spat coldly.

"Sirius isn't really fond of his family." Harry interjected, cautiously. "Not that I can blame him."

Volkner arched his eyebrow. "Family problems?" He snorted sarcastically at the other man.

"Problems? Problems!" Sirius laughed humourlessly, coldness seeped through his words directing a bone chilling gaze at the blond. "You have absolutely no idea. No idea at all. You see Volkner, my family is considered to be one of the darkest wizarding families in the world. Our libraries were filled with the foulest magic's that our world has ever known, collecting them through the centuries in order to build up our power. Unfortunately with power came with a price, insanity travels through my bloodline you see. My cousin Bellatrix is a psychotic murderous whose gets off on murder and torture, my own little brother joined the Death Eaters in order to appease mother, now she was a real piece of work."

Harry threw him a sharp look. "Sirius!" His tone hard, mixed with worry and sadness as his expression unfolded into concern.

His godfather ignored him menacing approaching the stunned blond. "You know nothing about me or how I grew up. Would you like to hear about the time where she tortured me or the time she decided I needed discipline!?" His tone took a steel edge eyeing the horrified gym leader. Seeing that there was nothing else could be said from the younger, Sirius turned sharply away speeding his way out of the room and slamming the door upon his way out.

Silence reigned over the three staring in horror at the implications of his words. The extent of Sirius' family's cruelty had been known to Harry though how far deep it had been never got touched a upon exception with mere implications, Sirius gave half-answered and avoided the subject when it came to his mother and the rest of his family minus his brother Regulus. The estranged relationship with his brother there were moments of underlying fondness hidden in his words as Sirius spoke of him, even though angered by the fact his younger brother had turned his back upon him and joined the Death Eaters to indulge their mother's twisted fantasies of Purity and nobility of magic. The rest of his family had all but fallen onto the hate list for good reason!

That still didn't make the horrid feeling in his stomach go away. If there had been anyone that understood the way Sirius felt it was Harry, having a similar childhood. Not wanting him to be alone Harry made a move towards the doorway, only to be stopped by Norman.

The gym leader shook his head, slowly, and gripped his shoulder reassuringly. "You stay here, I'll go and look for him." Norman said, giving a kind smile. "Don't worry. I'll bring him back, Sirius probably just needs to vent for a little while. I'm sure he'll be fine after cooling off for awhile." He strode over towards the door briefly glancing back with a kind smile before disappearing into the hallway, leaving Harry and Volkner by themselves.

Somehow for whatever reason Harry believed that Norman would be capable of bringing Sirius back. In the mean time it seemed that he would have to take care of damage control, turning towards Volkner, whom appeared to be shamed by his callous words.

The wizard ignored the urge to sigh. Better now than never.

* * *

><p>Sirius bristled down the halls, gritting his teeth in anger. Angry at Volkner for bringing up his family, angry at himself for overreacting and angry for walking off leaving Harry alone, after his little outburst he knew that remaining would be a bad idea. His arms wrapped around his body feeling the cold wind come into contact with his body, standing outside of the Centre, not too far away and stared up at the brimming rays of the sun. Covering his face with his hands; a sharp sigh escaped his lips.<p>

"I fucking screwed up." Sirius murmured to himself.

Harry probably was busy cleaning up after his messes once again making him feel even guiltier than before. He knew that his godson wouldn't blame him for his actions though making a mental note to make it up to Harry once getting the chance.

The sounds of footsteps captured his attention flickering his grey eyes to the interloper. "Sirius," Norman's voice had been enough to cause his head to turn. The gym leader stood there, both hands resting within his pockets staring at him soberly. He slowly began to approach him yet kept a good amount of distance away from him. "Asking if you're alright would be rather pointless, wouldn't it." His words were a question though his tone wasn't.

Sirius sent him a scowled. "You guessed right," The wizard remarked harshly.

"I'm not going to leave you alone, Sirius. I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're going through, or what your family has done to you. You've told me before a bit about your mother, I wish I realized what that had been implied. If I ever met her I'd give her a piece of my mind," Norman snarled darkly. "That bitch has absolutely no right to call herself a mother if she laid a hand on you." His expression darkened narrowing his eyes in a cold fashion that almost made the wizard stepped back a bit.

His stomach twisted with butterflies within them, feeling touched at the other man's words. "Norman..."

"I don't care what other people say or think about you, the one thing that I know for certain is that I love you." Sirius felt his eyes widen at that confession, the previous distance between the two had all but vanished. "Every moment that I have spent with you have made me the happiest that I've been in a long time. I don't want it to end," A gentle and soft smile appeared on the gym leader's face as he gently began to caress the other man's cheek. "I'll stand by your side, Sirius. No matter what I promise," His tone continued to have that soft tone but it came with a firm edge in it.

Sirius's own hand slide up placing over Norman's staring into his eyes. "Even if it meant trouble were to follow you? And even if I'm a screw up?"

"I highly doubt that you're capable of screwing up like some people," Norman snorted. "Even then I'd still stand by you. Don't ever doubt that."

The wizard curled his lips nervously; the claims continued to make his heart beat faster and faster. Face turned a bright shade of red feeling touched by his words, pulling Norman's hand over to his lips placing a gentle kiss upon the knuckles. Sirius' eyes locked onto Norman's onyx staring deeply into the dark pools. "Thank you," he whispered quietly. "For everything I mean, for helping me adjust to this new world and for travelling with me and just... being with me."

"It should be me thanking you for making me remember what being in love is like again," Norman's hand broke free sliding into Sirius' hands holding them, lips forming a lovely smile.

Sirius barked a laugh. "I'm not too sure I agree with that," He gripped into his hands. "But, I think I can live with that."

The two remained in comfortable silence their heads leaned forwards touching lips against each other deepening into a slow, passionate kiss as they moved hands to embracing each other as the world around them faded away to the back of their minds.

* * *

><p>Volkner swallowed fretfully. His sapphire eyes followed as Harry walked back and forth pacing in a contemplative manner. The room had been quiet for far too long for the gym leader's liking, normally a fan of silence. Unfortunately, this was not the type he had been fond of. His words had caused a great deal of tension within the group that unfolded into the uncomfortable feeling that filled the room. Guilt enveloped within. By no means had he meant to overstep his bounds and bring up horrid memories that plagued the man, he merely made a jab at him as they usually did; their rivalry had been obvious for the four of them. Never in a million years had he expected the older male to lash out like that!<p>

The words thrown at him hadn't been lost on him. Volkner completely understood the implications and undertones that came from Sirius' verbal onslaught that made his stomach turn in disgust, horrified at just what Sirius had been forced to go through.

Just how could anyone do that to their own child?! Sure, Volkner didn't have a particularly great childhood himself, but being abused? That drove his patience.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen," His hand ran through his hair sending Harry an apologetic look. Volkner straightened himself from sitting in the chair averting the teen's gaze for the beginning as they moved towards him. "It just slipped out. It was supposed to be a joke, nothing mean. If I had know that Sirius would have reacted that way I wouldn't have said anything," He got out of the chair standing nervously, his hands slide down hanging onto his pockets. "I'm sorry." He repeated again sincerely.

Harry threw him a blank face. "It's not your fault, Volkner." The teen reassured, calmly. "You didn't know. So stop blaming yourself, but I honestly think that you should be apologizing to Sirius. Not me." Harry remarked softly, pausing in his pacing. "Or at least talking to him, he'll understand."

"I doubt that. He hates my gusts." Volkner remarked, bitterly with a cynical laugh.

"You're not exactly much better. You take the bait, and retaliate just as much as Sirius starts it." The frown on Harry's face had been enough to make the blond cringe. "I get that you two aren't exactly friendly with one another; but I know that deep down that the two of you care about one another. Even if neither of you know about it; I think if you get down to it you both would find you have more in common than you think." His lips spread across his features teasingly.

Volkner resisted the urge to snort. Him and Sirius finding common ground? The gym leader found that notion almost laughable, from almost the moment that they meant they had been at one another's throat. While he couldn't deny that at least on some level the two did care for one another, it had been merely friendly and willingly could admit that Volkner also respected Sirius too. The man had a far long way to go before he could be good a decent trainer even so the way Sirius acted as a parent towards Harry had been something worth giving praise, caring for Harry and protecting the teen from harm; the relationship between Harry and Sirius had also made the gym leader rather jealous.

The feelings that he had for Harry had continued to build up through their journey; trying to show them to him but had also been interrupted by something or other. Volkner was not well versed in expressing himself preferring action over words. It made things much harder.

"You don't have to pretend to be all buddy-buddy." Harry broke him out of his thoughts. His emerald eyes stared into his blue orbs. "Just... try to get along?"

Volkner's lips went dry at the request. "I... I promise I will try." He promised, nodding firmly. "But I make no promises."

Harry didn't budge further. "That's all I ask."

At least they were passed that little issue for the most part. Now all that needed to happen was to change the subject, his curiosity of Harry's world lingered in his mind. "How about you tell me a little bit about your world," Volkner began, clearing his temple. "You seem to have a bit more knowledge about everyday things than Sirius' does. Is there a reason for that? Your world and the um... muggle world," the word left a disgusting after taste. "They couldn't have been apart that much. For that matter why were they kept separate anyway?"

Harry closed his eyes briefly, shifting uncomfortably at the proposed questions that he had given. Had he accidentally brought up another sore subject? _'Shit_.' Volkner cursed himself mentally. Once again he had screwed up in less than a half-hour.

"I grow up completely non-magical," Harry answered, a side smirk slide on his face, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "Persecution for those that had magic got rather bad, many good witches and wizards were killed."

Volkner's brows knitted together, and frowned. "Okay, I get that part. But things couldn't have been that bad as they are now back in your world."

The teen didn't answer immediately his lips curled into an almost mockingly. His emerald pools flashed with an unreadable emotion that Volkner couldn't decipher, having vanished quickly just as it had appeared. "Maybe, I have heard stories floating around from some of the other students. Not everyone takes to the revelation of magic easily," Harry informed him.

"I'll take your word for it," Volkner responded, wondering how bad things could have gone. At first he had been confused to how someone could take the idea of magic badly, it changed slightly once Harry had brought up the persecution part; magic was something beyond logic and not everyone would be able to understand it. From there the possibility of anger and hatred blooming made it even more likely; fearing the unknown and seeking to destroy it; a wife or husband having magic revealing it to their spouse only when forced too, whether they spouse would be able to take it depended upon themselves. His hand ran through his hair at the imagery of such nature. He swallowed. "You know... I'd never Norman and I, we'd... I'd never hurt you. You know that right?"

Harry blinked taken aback by that question, surprised by those words. They softened moments after pressing his lips into a thin, calm smile his head bowing slightly. "I know," Harry answered sincerely. His posture relaxed slowly. "You're not that type of person, Volkner. You're far too kind."

His cheeks threatened to burn brightly, never been called that in his life before. The gym leader moved towards him. "_Me_ kind? That's a first, others would call me cold and stoic," Volkner scoffed, in amusement yet a smile appeared shaking his head. Hearing those words caused his heart to feel aflutter his stomach practically filled with Beautifly and Butterfrees, yet he that didn't dissuade him from continuing. "I think... you bring out the best in me. Every day that I spend with you brings a smile to my face, there isn't a day I don't look forward to spending with you."

Now it seemed that Harry had no idea how to take his words. "Volkner..." His voice had been soft yet the surprise slipped into his tone.

"Let me finish." Volkner interrupted him, taking a step forward entering the younger's bubble space cautiously. "What I'm trying to say is that, I like spending time with you. I don't want it to end." Mentally, he was cursing himself for going this far but knew that there was no turning back. "I want to be by your side." Feeling courageous his hands launched forward, pulling the younger boy into a hug wrapping them around Harry holding him close. He buried his face into the dark locks slightly opening his eyes. "I'm not good with words, so let my actions speak for what I feel for you instead."

No sound came from the younger boy, at first. A dreadful tingle erupted through his spine forming fearful thoughts which sprouted in his mind infectiously. Had he confessed too soon? Had Harry been disgusted by his declaration? He didn't dare look at Harry's face in fear of what Volkner might have seen.

However, his fears were soon whipped aside.

A tug upon his chest brought his attention downwards, albeit nervously Volkner's eyes moved meeting with the bemused emerald pools that gleamed underneath the lighting form the ceiling. Pressure against his chest surged through his body. Harry blinked once smirking. "I think we've been dancing around one another for a long time, haven't we? At first I didn't really understand what I was feeling, let alone even begin to say anything. I've never really experienced love before, until now. At least that's what I think." A tingle of pink rose from the wizard's cheeks and coughed discreetly trying to avert the embarrassment that Harry clearly felt upon confessing.

Volkner's heart began to beat rapidly! W... was this truly real? Everything in front of him seemed to be that way! Instead of responding the gym leader slid his hand towards Harry tilting the younger head upwards slightly before descending his head down. Their lips crushing together fiercely deepening the kiss ever so slowly as relishing happily against Harry's lips, Volkner's teeth nibbled upon the bottom of Harry's lips playfully continuing the intimacy between them passionately, his own mouth moved slowly wanting to savour this little moment between them. His hands ran down the raven's sides carefully curving around his waist cautiously pulling him closer, and relaxed his arms in place behind Harry's waist.

The kiss turned more aggressive feeling Harry kissing him back with such velocity sparking the competitive side that Volkner had. That didn't make the kiss any less passionate nor less meaningful, merely made things interesting as the need for air began to make it's self known. He didn't want the kiss to end. Not just yet. Greedily pressing back Volkner manoeuvred them towards the chair pushing his back against it while sliding Harry on to his lap, enjoying the feel of feeling the wizard's arms around his neck. How he wished that they could remain sitting like this forever! He pulled back from the kiss breathing heavily upon doing so, his mouth twitched into a smile satisfied with the kiss.

"That has been... more than I ever imagined," Volkner whispered huskily, the smile turned feral.

Harry laughed, grinning back. "I have to say that is one hell of a first kiss!"

"Mhmmm," The electric leader nodded his head in agreement to the younger worlds. "... I still want to take you on a date first. A proper one."

"A date?" Harry repeated slowly, almost grimacing at the notion yet his expression changed after a few moments. "I've... never really been on a date before, kinda of. It was a kind of but not really date with someone back home."

Volkner stared at him for several moments seeing the flustered look. He snickered. "You messed up didn't you?" Volkner remarked, a full grin stretched ear to ear.

"I didn't-!" Harry exclaimed indignity before, frowning tightly. Averting his gaze and folded his arms against his chest, glancing back. "I might have said something, that set her off. I don't know why she reacted that way though."

"Smooth," Volkner stated, chuckling softly.

Harry sent him a poisonous stare. "Like you've never done that before?"

That made the blond clap his mouth shut in response. In retaliation Volkner sent Harry his own type of glare gaining a victory smirk in return, laughter soon exploded within the room in unison upon realizing that neither of them had been particularly lucky when it came dating. Without being said, Volkner hadn't really bothered to attempt to get into a relationship until now, speed dating also had been more of Flint's thing than his. That didn't mean that he wasn't experienced in certain aspects of being an relationships or along the lines of one, he had much more of a master in those areas. Not that he planned on jumping straight into that from the get-go wanting to move slowly with their new founded relationship that they had formed.

His previous 'dates' if anyone could truly call them those had been sporadic at best, and unfulfilling. Probably due to the fact that Flint had set up him on several blind dates before finally giving up upon realizing that he didn't want anything to do with fair-weathered people.

"Seriously, I want to take you out somewhere. You and me, on a real date!" Volkner repeated his request firmly, holding Harry in place on his lap.

"I wouldn't be opposed to the idea. It sounds like a fun idea, but what would we exactly be doing on these dates?" Harry inquired neutrally, leaning forward curiously.

Volkner blanched at that idea not having thought far enough ahead, and fell silent at the question. His sucked on his lips thinking of a good place for a first date, cheesy as of an idea the only logical one that Volkner could come up with was taking him to the movies. "There's a theatre here in Eterna City that we can go to and see a movie." The gym leader mused thoughtfully. "We could also go grab something to eat before or after the movie's done and then go do something else if you're interested." Somehow that sounded a lot better in his head.

It seemed that lucky might have been on his side catching the intrigued shine that passed through the emerald eyes. "A movie? What kind of movie?" Harry inquired, appearing every interested in the idea. The contemplative humming echoed softly in the air.

"I figured we'd just go check what's playing and then decide," Volkner answered honestly, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

Harry arched an eyebrow. "You do realize that I don't know any of the good movies, right?"

"So?" Volkner dismissed the issue easily. "We'll go see something that's new rather than a sequel, they don't tend to do so go in the theatre –well some."

"A movie enthusiast are we?" Harry grinned.

He shook his head. "Not really, I don't mind watching them every now and then. But I do know my movies, especially the good ones for that matter." Volkner elaborated, and paused for a moment. "Worse comes to worse we'll ditch the movie and go make out in the bathroom."

The only response that had been give belonged to Harry chuckling, rolling his eyes and managing to snatch a surprise kiss from him. Needless to say everything after that faded away blissfully.

* * *

><p>Chapter 16 end.<p>

Sorry for the insanely long wait, actually this chapter has been finished for a rather long deal of time truth by told. However, with the releasing of ORAS, I figured might as well go on ahead and post it! Chapter 17 is currently in editing with chapter 18 being worked on.

Due to being in school now for full-time it's very difficult for me to get the time to write. So please be patient for further updates considering this might be my final year pending upon taking another joint program within the future; I have yet to decide.

Please make sure to leave a review and constructive criticism!


End file.
